Honey and Maple Syrup
by Zapenbits
Summary: Why this night of all night?" Ichigo asked facing his wife. "Because I want her to be remembered as a wonderful mother just like I intend to be," she replies, as he leans over to gently touch her stomach. IchiRuki. R&R.
1. Time to Tell

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

Rukia turned over on her side on their bed one night trying to get into a better sleeping position. She had been restless for quite sometime now, and she knew this night Ichigo would be as well.

She faced him. His face was covered by a towel that he had used from his shower and his right arm was placed on his forehead, trying to block out all sounds, and that even included his wife, Rukia Kurosaki.

"What's wrong, Ichigo," she asked knowing the answer. She saw the towel shift toward her as he faced her. "It's the anniversary, isn't it?"

He nodded not saying anything. It had been nine years now since she had met him, and one year since they had been married. This day was as familiar to her as the back of her hand. The date, June seventeenth, had been planted into her head like a flower in a garden.

Even though she never new Masaki, she did know that that date deeply affected Ichigo's family and, in a way, it affected her as well. On that day Ichigo didn't go to work and he didn't stay home. Come to think of it, Rukia didn't even _see_ him on that date until very late at night.

And it was always raining. Ironic, Rukia thought. That the days she and her husband both hated were the raining ones. And every time Masaki or Kaien's death anniversary came around, it always seemed to be raining.

Rukia was determined to make the rain and those two dates something to honor, not to regret. She wanted Ichigo to be himself on the day of his mother's death, maybe a little sadder, due to the loss, but still just the same old Ichigo that she had grown to love.

"Ichigo?" she whispered after a long time; she could have sworn that Ichigo was asleep. "Ichigo are you awake?"

She went to touch the arm that covered his eyes when he replied, "What?"

Rukia smiled sitting up, moving enough for Ichigo to remove the towel from his face and to crack open an eyelid to look up at his wife.

"I went to Masaki's grave a few weeks," she said as casually as possible.

"Oh really?" Ichigo asked slightly amused which was surprising since this _was_ Masaki, his mother, which they were talking about.

"Yep," she replied bubbly. "A few weeks ago I was at home with nothing to do so I walked to her grave. While I was sitting there, praying, I suddenly felt this tight embrace wrapped around me. Whoever or whatever it was, was soft and warm and smelled of honey and maple syrup."

Ichigo gasped. His mother, he was sure of it.

Rukia continued. "But when I turned around, I didn't see anyone. I shrugged it off and then I had this vibe…"

"A…_vibe_?"

"Yes a vibe," Rukia said glaring at her smirking husband. "It said something about wanting to keep her baby boy happy and make sure he stays in line. She's been watching over and saw that you could be almost exactly like your father."

Ichigo groaned and looked away. She smiled.

"What did you talk about?" Ichigo asked, trying to hide the interest in his voice. He shot a glance at the shinigami girl who was grinning in accomplishment.

She had won his attention after all.

"We talked about Yuzu and Karin," Rukia went on. "We talked about the Soul Society, and Renji. Orihime, Uryuu, and their new baby. We talked about your dad"—Ichigo snickered at her next comment—"she still thinks he looks cool with a cigarette in his mouth."

"Anything else?" Ichigo asked smiling. He knew that his wife sounded like a total idiot. But that was just one more reason why he listened to her; blackmail.

"Yes actually. We talked mostly about you." She smiled. "She's very proud of you, Ichigo. She says that she's glad you've been able to show that smile that you only wore for her to other people, like me. We talked about your work as a doctor and many other things that mother—in—law and daughter—in—law talk about."

He shook his head. They both laid back down, the covers firmly wrapped around them. Rukia turned to him a little catching his eye.

"What else?" Ichigo replied closing his eyes a bit.

"Baby names," Rukia replied simply.

"Baby names?" Ichigo repeated. "That seemed kinda off subject. I mean I know that woman can get off subject sometimes…but that's just"—

Rukia groaned getting Ichigo's attention. "You don't get it do you?" she asked looking at his face as it scrunched up in confusion. "You really are an idiot."

"Hey!" Ichigo replied. "Sorry about you and your weird subjects…"

Before he could say anything else Rukia pressed two fingers against his lips. Amber eyes looked at violet and they stayed like that for the longest while. "Why would we be talking about baby names unless…"

She nodded in his direction as his face slowly lit up with knowledge. "Orihime and Uryuu want you to name their baby!" he replied excitedly.

Rukia stared at him dumbfounded. Could one man who was usually so smart be so stupid? Yep, Rukia concluded.

"NO!" she replied. "I'm pregnant."

Ichigo's eyes widened considerably. His brain lost all functioning. It was like he was having a heart attack or something. "Wha—what?" he questioned.

"Ugh, how can I say this for your little brain to handle," she replied sarcastically, putting her index finger to her chin acting as if she as thinking. "I'm expecting. We are having a baby."

"I'm gonna be a dad?" Ichigo asked, words finally coming back to him.

"Well…" Rukia replied. "We're still waiting for the test results."

His eyes widened for the second time that night. She smirked. "I'm kidding," she replied. "Geez, lighten up."

"I'm gonna be a dad?" Ichigo repeated.

"YES!"

The orange—haired shinigami broke out into a grin and then wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a tight embrace. "This is so incredible," he whispered in her ear, while resting one hand on her stomach.

"Yes it is," she replied as he pulled away. They kissed gently before resuming back into their laying positions. Rukia turned on her side and Ichigo scooted closer to her and draped an arm around her slim figure.

They both closed their eyes for a while until Ichigo broke the silence with a simple question, "Why tonight of all nights?" he asked. "Why on the night before the anniversary of my mother's death?"

Rukia shrugged. "A new start," she replied. "I want to make the rain something of forgiveness and cleansing, not pain and regret. I want Masaki to be remembered as a great mother just as I intend to be. And I want you to think of her day as something to be joyful for; her life and the tiny life inside of me, Ichigo."

He nodded resting his head on her pillow. It was funny some of the strange things that he noticed about his wife at night. Just two weeks ago he noticed that she had been eating a lot lately, which only led to a fight about "yes, you've been eating like a pig!" and "no, I eat as much as you!" and then Ichigo getting his butt thrown through some wall.

And tonight he noticed, as he smelled the light sense that Rukia gave off while he snuggled closer to her, his hands resting on her stomach, that she smelled of honey and maple syrup.

Just like his mother.

It was a small thing, noticing someone's scent. But to Ichigo, it was all the reassurance that he need to get through the tough times that he and Rukia would be forced through; after all, the Soul Society would probably need some _talking_ before they would allow her to give birth. And not to mention her brother would probably kill Ichigo while Renji did all he could to get a few punches in.

Because Ichigo Kurosaki knew that his mother was there, watching over him, Rukia, and their unborn child.

_"I want to make the rain something of forgiveness and cleansing, not pain and regret."_

Yeah, he thought as he heard Rukia's breathing become softer and slower as she drifted off into sleep. A new start to a new life, that's what the rain would offer him the next time it did.

And, like Masaki was answering his prayers, the soft patter of the translucent liquid ran down the window.

And Ichigo smiled, his eyes shutting as well.

**Thank you for reading!! Please review!**


	2. Tea, Mail, and Chappi

**Okay people, here's the deal: I'm absolutely ecstatic of how many people reviewed this story in just a short three days. **

**And originally this story was meant to be just a oneshot. The reason why it said it was in progress was because I was in such a rush to get it on here that I just rushed through the summery etc. (judging by where it said ngiht instead of night…sorry bout that…)**

**Anyway, so a lot of people who reviewed were wondering if it was a multi chaptered story, and my mind, as wandering as it is, just had millions of ideas to turn this into a story. So…yeah, I guess I am.**

**I'll warn you that it won't be a tragedy, angst, drama, filled story like other people's (but don't get me wrong, I LOVE those stories) I'm just not really that kind of writer.**

**And I'll also tell you it'll probably only be four or five chapters at the most. I'm still thinking of ideas as you read this…**

**So, yeah. Thank you for reading my (very long) author's note. Okay on with the story! **

At breakfast that next morning, Rukia sipped a bit of tea, letting the soothing liquid run through her body. Very early that morning, four twenty five to be exact, she had got up and walked into the kitchen to think over her thoughts about this whole…baby thing.

Once, Ichigo had told her about what happened when babies were made. He had used the example of Chappi the rabbit to make it "easier" for Rukia to understand. The conversation only led to stuttering, crimson blushes, and very, very long, uncomfortable silences.

Rukia never liked bunnies as much as she used to again, the image of…"_it"_…running through her brain like an old record player.

But after they had gotten married (and after many, many "hints" of grandchildren from Ichigo's father) they had discussed it, only leading to more stuttering…crimson blushes…and…long uncomfortable silences.

And then, it just happened. And she was happy yet terrified when it did. She was going to be a mom, something that all the girls in this world dreamed of being when they grew up. And she was lucky enough to be blessed with such a tiny gift. And terrified that the Soul Society wouldn't allow it; but then again, what could they do? They couldn't take her away, on, her brother wouldn't want Rukia's child to grow up without a father. They couldn't kill it (why would they want to anyway?) because Ichigo would have _all_ their heads on a platter by dinner that day.

So what was the worst that could happen?

Absent minded Rukia touched her stomach. Ah, the joy of telling Isshin and Yuzu and Karin, she snickered as two very heavy feet walked down the stairs of her small home. What fun will have, she concluded her thoughts after seeing that Mr. Don't—talk—to—me—I'm—in—a—grumpy—mood, otherwise known as Ichigo came trotting down the stairs.

"Good morning," she said, taking another sip of tea. "Do you want some tea? Or maybe some coffee?"

A grunt was his reply.

She rolled her eyes and went back to the hot liquid in her hand. Suddenly Ichigo's eyes snapped open. "What are you doing?!" he shouted to her.

She looked over to him, surprised to say the least. "Um…drinking tea?" she replied as more of a question than a statement. What was with him anyway?

He snatched the mug away from her and said, "You shouldn't be drinking hot liquids…" he trailed off and looked down to her stomach.

She looked down and saw that he was talking about their baby. He didn't want her to burn the baby. Now, any other woman would think that was sweet and loving but not Rukia. She stood up, placed her hands firmly on her hips and said, "You idiot, it won't hurt the baby. Now, fighting deadly hollows that might hurt it…but not drinking tea!"

She attempted to take the mug back, but now Ichigo had stood up also and by doing so, increased his height by two. He held the mug well over his head so, even if Rukia jumped, she still couldn't reach it.

Ichigo shook his head waving his right index finger. "Nope, no way, you don't get this. Now go get a glass of water or milk…but no tea."

She glared at him. "Ichigo…" she started. "It won't hurt the baby I promise. Now, PLEASE GIVE ME BACK MY CUP OF TEA!!"

He smirked. "No," was his reply.

Rukia sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get the tea and she walked back into their kitchen. It was relatively small, with a stove, counter space, refrigerator, and several other appliances were all lined up on one wall.

On the opposite wall was a small table for two. On the far wall were pictures of Yuzu as prom queen, and Karin showing them that she had gotten the MVP award, for soccer, her senior year at high school. There was one of Isshin at the park reading on a park bench. And another of Orihime and Uryuu with goofy smiles on their faces because Rukia just had to get a picture of them after Orihime had just told Uryuu that they were having a baby. There were some of Byakuya, Renji, along with Ichigo and Rukia. Some were from their wedding and some were of them in the Soul Society. One was of Ichigo kissing Rukia on the cheek, herself with the total look of surprise right as the camera clicked. Rukia smiled as the memories came back to her.

She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of milk. She reached into one of the cabinets and pulled out a glass and poured the milk in it.

She was about to walk back into the dining room when she heard the shower upstairs start. She peeked around the corner of the kitchen and saw that Ichigo was no where in sight. She grinned.

Oh, she was getting the tea now.

…………………………………………………………

Rukia sighed as Ichigo pulled the third sweater over her body. "There," he said, standing back to examine his work. "I think you're safe enough to go outside for the time being."

"Ichigo…" Rukia sighed running a hand through her ebony hair. "It's like a hundred degrees outside! And besides I'm only gonna get the mail!"

"Oh, you are?" he asked a sudden look of shock across his face. "I thought you were just getting some air! Here." He placed another sweater over her head. "Now you can go get the mail while I finish the laundry."

Rukia groaned and walked outside. She immediately pulled off the sweater and stuffed them in a bush by her porch. She walked down the stairs and to the mail box and pulled out the mail.

She went through them. Bill, bill, bill…

Rukia then walked back inside still examining the mail. Bill, bill, bill…

"Ichigo!" she called. "You have mail!"

…………………………………………………………

_Okay, now he was getting annoying_, she thought as he picked up a pillow and stuffed it behind her back, saying something about you should be "comfortable" and "I'll get it, don't worry about it."

After the whole tea incident she thought that it was cute that he was trying to protect her, though she was hardly two weeks into her pregnancy. But then, he made her wear all those sweater to get the mail, she couldn't do the laundry, she couldn't cook herself any food, she couldn't even kill a hollow that was just down the road that any four year old Soul Reaper could!

It was getting very annoying indeed.

_Speaking of the orange haired–overprotective Strawberry_, she thought bitterly as Ichigo walked back into the living room with a plate of food.

"There," he said grinning like the total idiot he was. "There's your lunch." She took the plate and flipped another channel on the television. It was the Chappi the Rabbit show.

Ichigo groaned and said, "Please change it."

"But why _sweetie_?" the raven–haired shinigami asked. "You'll have to get used to it. In only nine months from now we'll have to watch it anyway. Besides it's good for the baby." She patted her stomach.

She smirked. He was shocked, looking at her with wide eyes. Then he glared at her and turned his head back around to the television screen, slouching in his chair a bit. "Fine…" he mumbled.

Rukia grinned in triumph and turned her head back around to the screen. Oh, these next nine months were gonna be A LOT of fun.

**Okay, so that's this chapter. I hope it wasn't way, way, way out of character. I just thought it would be funny if Ichigo was just a smidge (try continent sized) overprotective of Rukia and his future child. He does want to protect ALL the people he loves after all…**

**In the next chapter they'll tell Isshin and Byakuya about her going to have a baby…uh oh.**

**Review!! **


	3. Isshin and Byakuya

**Alright here's chapter three!! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Ichigo, Rukia, Isshin, Byakuya, Renji, Yuzu, Karin or any of the other characters I may use in this chapter or any chapters for that matter.**

She was now three weeks pregnant. Ichigo hadn't given her a break ever since she had told him; he had actually gotten worse in his "overprotective…ness."

Like the day before, for example, he had bought a the most expensive security system (which he had so brutally took a hammer to her bunny piggy bank that he had given to her for her sixteenth birthday, just to buy it).

What did he think was going to happen? A burglar sneaking into their bedroom in the middle of night and take Rukia away, one, without waking up Rukia first and receiving a very hard punishment, and two, and not waking up Ichigo who would…well they wouldn't be alive long enough to even explain why they were their in the first place.

So why would they need a security system when they were _both_ capable of taking care of themselves? "Just think of the baby," Ichigo had told her over and over as they had exited the hardware store, security system in tow.

But, for the better, also in the past three weeks, Rukia had seen twelve new episodes of Chappi that she had never seen before (which, in Ichigo's, opinion, wasn't a lot considering she had watched one hundred and twenty three episodes in all.)

She had also been served on hand and foot and even got to take three bubble bathes….Ichigo didn't like bathes, he said they were just a waste of hot water and time. "Think of the baby," she would say before smirking and slamming the door shut and then spend two hours in that bathroom for some time _alone_.

Don't get her wrong though, she loved her husband with all her heart. She would give her life up in a split second any day for him. But right now, she almost wished that someone would take her away from this house that reeked of the overprotective, sweater freaked, caring idiot called Ichigo.

"Rukia!" she heard him call from outside of the bathroom door. "Come on, let's go! We need to be at my dad's house in half an hour!"

"Okay!" she replied and leaned her head back against the wall soaking in the last of her bath. She then sighed, and pulled the drain and let the water run out.

She stood up and pulled wrapped a robe around her slender figure. She walked over to the mirror and wiped off some of the steam and look at herself.

She had aged just like a regular person after her spirit had become fully attached to her gigai. She could tell that she had aged since that time; she looked older, more mature since she had been sixteen. Her eyes were kinder and her hair was softer. The lines of worry and scolding that used to be under her eyes were gone since she had become so happy.

She heard the door click open and Ichigo walk inside. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes and turned her head, kissing him gently on the cheek.

The rocked back and forth for a while as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder and then he whispered in her ear, "Hurry up."

She laughed and turned all the way around, put two hands on the sides of his face, and kissed him on the lips. "Well, I would be doing that if you weren't bothering me," she replied smirking.

"Fine, fine," he said, holding his hands up in mercy. He then turned to the door and started to walk out. He reached the door, pulled the handle and turned his head.

Rukia watched him, smiling subconsciously as she tied the robe up.

The words he spoke next shocked Rukia because it wasn't like him to say something so soft and caring. He said, "You know Rukia, I never really told you how happy I was to be with you. And now, I'm twice as happy. Thank you."

She walked toward him and rested a hand on his shoulder. They leaned in very close, so their noses were almost touching and she whispered, "Go on, Ichigo. I have to get ready."

He smirked and he turned around leaving her alone in the bathroom. She smiled to herself and walked over to the counter by the sink and pulled on her under garments, then she put on a light blue dress that cut off just right above her knees. She brushed her hair and then walked out of the bathroom and into her husband's presence, which had been waiting just outside the bathroom.

"Ichigo," she said, "what did you think would happen while I was in there? Get lost in my dress?"

"Well you can't be too sure," Ichigo replied, taking her arm and they walked down the stairs, the walls filled with more pictures. They reached the living room, they walked outside (before grabbing a sweater of course) and to the car.

The car ride to Isshin's house was quite yet relaxing. Usually, these car rides are filled with bickering and "You're going the wrong way!" or "Take that exit! Ugh, Ichigo you Idiot!" or even "Shut up midget! I think I know how to get to my own house!" and then ending with, "See I told you to take that exit!"

But today was different.

He pulled into the clinic's driveway and stopped the car. They sat there for a few minutes until Rukia asked, "Ichigo what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied and he then he opened his car door and walked out.

Rukia did the same, slightly confused at the reasoning behind her husband's actions. She pulled his old college sweater shirt over her head to make him feel a little better.

"You know my father is going to be ecstatic when we tell him, don't you?" Ichigo asked turning his head around.

She nodded. "I lived with you long enough to know how your—my—family can be sometimes." She smiled as his eyes downshifted to her's. _He was sure acting strange_, she thought. _It's not like him to be this…down_.

He gave a small smile back and they briefly knocked on the door before entering, not waiting for a reply.

"Ah Ichigo, my boy!" Isshin said clapping a hand on his son's back. "Have you come to join Daddy, Yuzu, and Karin for lunch this fine day?"

Ichigo only grunted and headed toward the kitchen. "What's wrong with him?" Isshin asked staring at his son.

"I'm not sure," Rukia replied staring at him also.

What had gotten into him?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

After lunch, Rukia, Ichigo, Isshin, Yuzu, and Karin sat down in the living room and talked about nothing in particular. Yuzu told them that she had been put into the advanced culinary class at the college she was going to. Karin explained that soccer try outs at the college she was going to started in only a few short weeks. Isshin spoke about some of the patients that he had helped in the last week.

Then they all turned to Ichigo and Rukia.

Since the war had ended, every Sunday the Kurosaki's would gather together for lunch and then explain what had happened to them in the past week or so.

"Well…" Ichigo said rather nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "We have something…uh…rather exciting to tell you."

Rukia looked up at him her eyes bright. "We are um…uh…"

"Wait," Isshin said rather seriously, holding up his right palm. "What are you trying to say? Ichigo what is it?"

"…uh…"

Rukia stared at Ichigo. Just tell them. Come on, there your family. We agreed that I would tell Brother if you told your father. Go on.

And like he heard her thoughts Ichigo said, "Rukia and I are going to have a baby."

The room became quiet. It took a while for the whole family to process the information. Karin, surprisingly, was the first to congratulate them with a "congratulations."

And that's when Rukia and Ichigo looked over to Isshin and Yuzu who had tears running down their cheeks. Isshin jumped up and screamed. Yuzu grabbed Rukia's hands and pulled her up.

For a moment they just stood there and then Yuzu starting skipping around the room with Rukia in hand laughing and saying something like: "I'm so happy for you!! Oh my gosh!! This is amazing…"

Isshin pounced his son. "Finally," the old man mumbled, in Ichigo's ear before the orange haired man threw his father off of himself.

For what seemed like hours they sat there talking about the baby and what they were going to do. Yuzu kept asking what they were going to name it if it was a boy or a girl.

Isshin kept dropping hints about naming the baby "Isshin" if it was a boy which Ichigo merely replied with a "when pigs fly."

And then it was time for Ichigo and Rukia to go to Urahara's shop and to the Soul Society.

"Bye Dad," Ichigo said, breaking away from his father's embrace for about the tenth time that night.

"Bye son," Isshin replied tears still in his eyes.

Ichigo then turned to his sisters and said his goodbyes. Rukia looked up at Isshin and said, "Goodbye Isshin."

He pulled her into a hug and said, "Thank you and congrats."

Rukia smiled and replied, "You're welcome and thank you."

And they left the clinic and headed to Urahara's.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Ichigo why were you so nervous?" Rukia asked as they got out of the car, at Urahara's shop.

"I was afraid that my father would…well, do exactly what he did. He was passing hints about grandchildren since we were like, what? Sixteen?"

She laughed. They walked up to Urahara's shop and walked inside.

Mr. Hat and Clogs was laying on the floor his hat just covering his face. They heard snoring and knew that he was asleep.

"Yo, Urahara!" Ichigo said, lightly tapping the man with his foot.

"Now you to know that you'll never get him up that way," Rukia commented, walking over to the sleeping man. She looked up at Ichigo and smirked before yelling (quite loudly), "TIME TO GET UP URAHARA!! YOUR GUESTS ARE HERE!"

Rukia stepped back as the man's eyes fluttered open and he looked up to see Ichigo and Rukia standing there. "Oh, it's just you guys," he said. "I thought maybe it would be someone important this time…"

"Hey!" Ichigo and Rukia said in unison.

"Let's just go," Ichigo said irritated.

Urahara stood up and they went to the underground arena to open the gate to the Soul Society.

They reached their destination and Rukia pulled out her red glove, to transform each other into Soul Reaper form. Until overprotective butt head got in the way…again.

"Rukia—do you think that's such a good idea?" he asked attempting to grab the glove away from her. "Because I'm sure that your brother wouldn't mind coming here for a few days…"

"Ichigo," Rukia groaned. "I'll. Be. Fine. Stop worrying."

And before he could protest any longer she had hit him under his chin with her gloved hand and then handed it to Urahara and he did it to her.

She brushed the dirt off of her Soul Reaper clothing as Ichigo still sat on the ground staring at her. "What?" she asked, seeing her husband gawk at her.

"You…just…never mind…"

She smirked. "Okay, let's go, _Strawberry_."

He got up and they walked to the gate that Urahara had safely prepared for them. They were off to the Soul Society…and Rukia's brother…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"What is it that you wanted to tell us?" Byakuya said with no emotion what so ever.

They were in the Kuchiki estate, several Soul Reapers including, Hitsugaya, Momo, Captain Kenpachi, Byakuya, Renji, and Matsumoto along with Yoruichi, who had stopped by for a visit.

"Come on, Kurosaki," Renji groaned, throwing his hands up in the air. "We can't be all day. Some of us have paperwork to do."

"Since when do you do paperwork?" Matsumoto asked, crossing her arms.

He glared. "I've ALWAYS done my paperwork, _Rangiku_. You just never noticed until I told you. You really aren't very observant."

She raised an eyebrow. "_Right_…" she mumbled.

"Now," Renji continued, "back on subject. Rukia, Ichigo what's going on?"

Rukia and Ichigo were sitting on a couch and staring up at all of the very powerful Soul Reapers standing in front of them. Rukia leaned over and whispered, in Ichigo's ear, "You tell them."

She said it so fast Ichigo could hardly understand her; to bad he caught her every word. "We had a deal," he said putting on a fake smile just as Rukia was doing.

"But your family isn't that intimidating," she said through gritted teeth.

"Just tell them!" Ichigo replied in a harsh whisper.

Rukia pouted but then turned back to her brother and the rest of the Soul Reapers and stated, "Ichigo and I want to tell you that…that…I'm—uh—I'm pregnant." She finished with confidence in her voice.

Every Soul Reapers eyes in the room visibly widened. Then, they all turned back to Byakuya Kuchiki to see what he would do next.

Ichigo and Byakuya's eyes locked. If anyone came into the room now they would have thought that Rukia along with the remaining Soul Reapers were watching a life and death staring contest between the Captain and the Soul Reaper.

Then Byakuya unsheathed his sword.

All the vice captains and captains flinched to stop whatever it was he was going to do. But when he didn't do anything, they calmed down.

And then he moved his blade so it was right in front of his face.

"Scatter." with so much seriousness in his voice it was like he was fighting some one of the Arrancar, not one of his own comrades.

Ichigo stood up, Zangetsu in hand, ready to fight to the death, when every Soul Reaper was holding the orange shinigami back and Yoruichi had wrapped white cloth around Byakuya's sword so his blade wouldn't "scatter."

Rukia continued to sit there, looking at her brother with utmost intensity.

"Well, I want to be the first to congratulate you," Matsumoto said, holding back a struggling Ichigo along with the rest of the Soul Society.

"Yeah, me too," Momo agreed.

"Thank you," Rukia said smiling. Even under the most…uncomfortable…situations they still managed to be the baby loving freaks that all girls were.

"Yeah, I hope you're happy," Toshiro said.

They all stood there awhile in silence.

Then Rukia stood up. She felt this sudden—urge—to speak her mind. Oh god, the pregnancy hormones must have ALREADY kicked in.

"Alright you two," she said pointing to _both_, Ichigo _and_ Byakuya. "Ever since you met it's been like a life or death competition with you. Now, Nii-sama," she looked over to Byakuya—"you let me get married to Ichigo. Eventually, everyone would have expected a baby and you knew that. You were married before, you should know." Byakuya looked away slightly embarrassed (Embarrassed? Who said embarrassed?) at his younger sister's comment.

"And Ichigo," she whirled her head to the Strawberry that was now finally calming down. "You knew that this would happen…and I thought that you would be a big boy and handle it. But I guess not."

Ichigo glared as he finally ripped himself away from the Soul Reapers and sitting back down on the couch.

"Now," she said extending both of her index fingers to the shinigami men, "you had better behave. It was MY decision to tell you about this child, Brother, and you all know that there is nothing that you can to stop me from having it. And Ichigo, it was also my decision to tell YOU about this, so don't try to fight a war.

"Now can you two get along OR WILL YOU HAVE TO KISS AND MAKE UP?!" She yelled the last part, earning a stifle giggle out of all the women and Renji.

"Yes ma'am," Ichigo said at once. "And no ma'am."

She turned to Byakuya with expecting eyes. "Yes and no, Rukia," he said sternly.

Rukia then dropped her arms and ran a couple fingers through her hair before putting another smile on her face and turning to them once more.

"Now," she said happily, "who wants to talk about baby stuff?"

The girls immediately ran over to Rukia, saying stuff about baby names and clothes shopping and whatever else it was that girls talked about when it came to babies.

All the men in the room sighed all thinking, except Kurosaki of course: _Dear god, mood swings already. I feel sorry for Kurosaki in when she hits seven months pregnant. Hell, maybe even next week._

**Alright that was a pretty long chapter. Yep, mood swings already.**

**Now, I'm not sure if you know (which I hope you don't) is that I only watch the show and right now I'm only on the Soul Society arc. So, I have no idea, really, who the Arrancar are or anything. So, if I got some of the information wrong, just tell me.**

**And also, I want to know whether you want the baby to be a boy or girl, and maybe a name if you have one?**

**If you could take the three seconds to review, you'll make my first week of school a lot easier.**

**Thanks guys.**

**Catch you later! **


	4. The Next Level

**I'm so sorry for the long wait!! Well, I had this chapter all the way done and completed last Thursday and I was gonna upload, but then water had accidentally spilled all over it and it fried. I guess I got it so bad that it went all the way to the point where I had to buy a new computer. So, over the next six months I need to pay Best Buy nearly nine hundred dollars. **

**So I'm sorry and please make me feel better by leaving lots and lots of reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I DO own the liquid…I would trade any day.**

Rukia awoke with a groan. She hated getting up. Not necessarily because she was lazy and didn't want to do anything, it was mostly because she hated Mondays. Monday was the worst day of the week. It was the time when people put away their ball caps and put on the business suits; it was when everyone kissed their children goodbye and was off to yet another boring day.

But that was not the reason why Rukia hated Monday, the most dreaded day of the week, the most, out of all the days to choose. What she hated most about it was the fact that Ichigo had to leave her and work.

She hated waking up to a note and not a warm body keeping her just right as she would snuggle closer to it. She hated waking up without the smell of eggs or toast or anything that resembled food.

She rolled over to Ichigo's side and heard what else but the crumbling of paper, which meant that Ichigo had left her a note.

Reluctantly, she sat up and picked up the piece of paper. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawned, and read:

_Rukia,_

_I'm sorry I had to leave so early, but there was a conference at the clinic this morning. You should go to the bookstore and buy a few more books, I saw that there wasn't one on the table this morning. You must have read all yours._

_Have a good day, and make sure if you go out in public that you wear a sweater, I don't want to catch a cold. No tea!!_

_I'll talk to you tonight,_

_Ichigo._

Before the word took full effect, Rukia smiled. In his own overprotective way, Ichigo was actually very sweet. She hadn't gotten a letter this length in a long time.

Deciding it was time to get up, Rukia rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, took off her pajamas and underwear, and got inside, letting the warm water run down her.

……………………………………………………………………...

_Two Years Ago_

"_So how exactly are you planning on supporting me?" Rukia asked one day, shortly after her and Ichigo's engagement. "I mean, you don't even have a job. You have to buy food, an apartment, and whatever else we might need to survive."_

"_Not very trusting are you?" he asked, smirking slightly. "You could get a job to, you know. There's a bookstore down the street; you always seem to be reading a book when I find you. I'm not gonna be the only one working."_

"_I could," she replied, swinging her legs back and forth on the park bench, in which they were sitting on. "But then I wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing you work, come home close to exhaustion, only to serve me to my every need."_

"_Pft, like that'll ever happen." He stated proudly. "You're gonna work too. Don't think for one second that I'll wait on you hand and foot."_

_She leaned back on the bench a bit. A comfortable silence eloped them and she decided to look at the scenery a bit. There were children running around most likely playing some sort of made up game. There were dogs jumping after Frisbees and teenagers holding hands on the playground._

_A woman walked past them. Her hair was untidy and her eyes were very tired. But she was smiling and cooing to the baby that was crying her arms._

_Rukia smiled._

_Someday she would have one of those. She was sure of it._

…………………………………………………………………

_That day I got two things I wanted_, Rukia realized as she stepped out of the shower. She walked over to the mirror, rubbed the steam off of it, and ran her fingers through her hair. I _got a baby and a man that waits on me hand and foot…and more_.

She smiled to herself and wrapped a robe around her slim figure. Rukia then walked out of the bathroom that was making her much to hot for comfort.

She walked to her bedroom that was just the door over from the bathroom. It helped when she had to throw up, sometimes before Ichigo even wake up she would already be awake, throwing up anything that she had eaten in the last day.

Rukia opened the door and was just about to scream. His security system didn't work? Didn't it work? Who the hell was this girl?

Indeed, there was a girl sitting on her bed, swinging her legs back and forth, smiling like an idiot, and when she saw Rukia she jumped up quickly. "Hi!" she said, just a little to excitedly for Rukia. "My name is Rita Hoktawa and I'm from the fourth squad. Captain Unohana sent me here from a special request from Ichigo Kurosaki."

Rita was a small girl, just a couple inches taller than Rukia. She had short brown hair and bright blue eyes that were gleaming with excitement.

"What?" Rukia stammered. "Rita…Unohana…special request from who?!"

Rita sunk back from Rukia a little bit from the look in her eyes. The very famous Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki, looked as if she would murder someone. Rita continued, trying to hide the fear that ran through her veins, "Um—um—she ga—gave me this note…" Rita pulled a note out of her jean pockets and showed Rukia as if to show her that it was true. "Um—it—it says that—that um—Ichigo has requested the use of a Soul Reaper to look after his wife while she is expecting. He says—" she pulled out yet another note that must have been from her _beloved_ Ichigo—"He says 'Rukia, I know that you're on the verge of killing someone right now'—wait kill someone—'but don't. Rita is here to protect when I'm at work. Have a great day and please don't hurt her'"—the young Soul Reaper's eyes widened at that point—"'I love you. Ichigo' that's all it says."

Rita looked at Rukia and smiled slightly. "I'm just doing my job."

After regaining her voice Rukia commanded, "Sit."

Rita immediately sat down on the bed and waited for the raven—haired shinigami continue; Rukia sat down next to her. "I'm not going to kill you," she explained. "The only person close to death would be Ichigo Kurosaki but we'll discuss that later."

"Oh, good," Rita said clasping her hands together. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"I have to go to the bookstore to pick up a few books I ordered then we'll head over to Orihime's house."

"_Really_?" Rita questioned. "Do I really get to meet the Orihime Ishida? First the strongest Soul Reaper in all the Soul Society AND the first Soul Reaper in the human world, Ichigo Kurosaki and then the wonderful, the Soul Reaper that made Ichigo Kurosaki who he is today and the wife to him, Rukia Kuchiki and now Mrs. Orihime Ishida? This day can't get any better!"

Rita jumped up from the bed, so excited that she almost couldn't contain it.

Rukia smiled. "Yes, we'll see her. But first, I have to get ready, then I'll make you breakfast, and then we'll go over to Orihime's.

The girl nodded and headed out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her. Rukia looked over to the window immediately, deciding whether to go out or just stay with the girl, Rita.

In the end, she decided just to stay with her. One, because that young girl was just doing her job; two, because she had told Rita EXACTLY where she was going; and three, because it gave Rukia the chance to yell at Ichigo that night.

She walked over to her closet and pull out a yellow sun dress. She pulled it on after putting on her undergarments, and then, she brushed her hair a few times, before heading outside.

When she closed the door, Rita was standing right next to the door, leaning back up against the wall. "What are you doing?" Rukia asked, clearly surprised.

"Ichigo said that you like to climb out windows so to keep you under close watch," Rita explained, index finger pointed.

_Damn_, Rukia thought. _It's going to be harder to get rid of this girl than I thought it might be._

……………………………………………………………………

_Four Years Ago…_

"_Ichigo, you fool!!" Rukia yelled as she slammed Ichigo's door shut. Her hands on her hips, she glared daggers at the shinigami in front of her._

"_Rukia," Ichigo replied, tiredly. "Just go to bed."_

"_No," she replied. "I can't believe you would do something this reckless!! I had that hollow perfectly handled and you just _thrust _yourself out in front of it. You know that I had it covered…you just risked your life for no apparent reason!!"_

"_Rukia…just go to bed. You'll wake my family."_

"_I don't care!!" she screamed. "You knew it!! You knew it and yet, you still decided to do the most reckless thing that you've ever done!"_

_Her face was hot and sweaty from her fight with the hollow and from the guilt and anger running through her. Her hair was messy and her clothes were wet from the rain outside. All in all, Rukia was NOT in a good mood._

"_Ichigo!? Are you even listening?!"_

"_I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!!" he finally shouted, turning to her. "I—can't lose you again."_

_Her eyes immediately softened. "What do you mean, Ichigo? Is it because of the fight with the Arrancar. Ichigo, that was such a long time ago. I'm fine…"_

"

_But what if you weren't fine?" he now questioned. "Don't you ever think about what would have happened if Orihime hadn't been there to save you? You could have died, Rukia…you would have died."_

_He inched closer to her._

_Rukia smiled._

"_But the good thing about that is," she explained, catching the orange haired man's eyes. "I don't have to worry about what would have happened. I had Orihime, and Toshiro, and Matsumoto, and you all there to save me. I'm in good hands."_

_All the while when Rukia had been talking they had inched closer and closer together. They now were so close that Ichigo could feel her breath against his skin._

"_Yes, you are," he finally agreed._

_Rukia finally realized what they were inching closer to. His lips…they were so close. But this couldn't happen…they could do this…all those rules that they would be breaking…it just wasn't right…_

"_Ichigo," she now said just above a whisper. "We can't do this…it's wrong…"_

_And yet, they never stopped getting closer._

"_Ichigo," she warned yet again. "This is wrong…we can't do this something will happen…the Soul Society would never allow this…Ichi—"_

"_Rukia," Ichigo said firmly, much confidence hung in his tone. "Just shut up."_

_And, without a second thought, he captured her lips with his own._

………………………………………………………………………………………

After picking up a few books, Rukia and Rita were headed to Orihime's house. Even though, Rukia had only known Rita for a few hours but she already knew two things about her: one, she took her job very seriously and two, she was just about worse than Ichigo.

When they had departed the house that morning they had walked to the bookstore. After that they had taken the local bus, which Rita had laid a blanket down on the seat that Rukia was about to sit down on. All she said, when Rukia had asked why she did that, was: "Ichigo doesn't want you to be exposed to too many germs while out in public. 'Think of the baby' was his exact words.

Now, they walked down a suburban like street, on their way to Orihime's house. After the war, Orihime and Uryuu got married. Not six months later, they had announced that they were going to have a baby. Now, the little girl was nearly five years old, named Rei. She was a beautiful little thing, with orange hair and bright eyes. She also had the weirdest sense of cooking, just like her mother.

Poor Ishida was all she thought when she reached the house in which she had Rita were now standing in front of. There was a small yard with pink and purple flowers, Rukia remembered planting herself along with a pregnant Orihime. They spent hours out there, despite the hot weather, planting ever seed with delicacy.

The house was brick and small also. There was a front door and two windows on the right side and one on the left side. Inside the house, was a living room to her immediate left and a dining room to her immediate right.

They walked up the narrow sidewalk to the front door and Rukia knocked. A little girl answered. "Aunt Reka!!" the little girl shouted. "Mommy said you was comin today! And you brought a new friend!! Yay!! Come on!!"

The little girl practically dragged Rukia and Rita inside. On the walls, there were pictures everywhere mostly of Rei but there were a few of herself, Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryuu.

"Oh you're here!" Orihime said, walking out of the kitchen. "And just in time, the cookies are finished! Oh, and you brought someone…!"

"Hi!" Rita said, before Rukia had a chance to introduce her. "I'm Rita Haktawa from the fourth squad. I'm here to look after Rukia, special request from Ichigo Kurosaki—"

"Okay that's enough talking," Rukia said before Rita could say anymore. Rita immediately stopped talking and retreated behind Rukia.

"Actually there's something I want to tell you," Rukia confirmed looking at Orihime. She pulled her aside and spoke quietly. "I wanted to tell you…"

"What is it?" Orihime questioned, excitement rising.

"I wanted to say that I'm going to have my own Rei soon," Rukia replied slowly. Orihime didn't reply. Finally, when Rukia couldn't stand the silence anymore, she yelled, "I'm pregnant!"

There was a slight tinge of jealousy that stung Orihime. It _was_ Ichigo's baby that they were talking about after all. And, at one point, she HAD felt a stronger feeling about him than what girls her age would call a "crush."

But in the end, he had chosen Rukia and she had chosen Ishida. There was no lose in her choice; she actually felt like she had made the better one in saying yes to that first date with Uryuu. If she hadn't, she would have little Rei running around the house, like she had now.

She loved her life.

And therefore, Rukia needed to have her best friend there, not dwelling on what could be but what was. And she needed some cookies to settle her cravings that she was most likely having but definitely not going to say out loud.

And that was when Orihime showed her a wonderful smiled. "Oh my!!" she yelled taking Rukia's hands and jumping up and down. "That's wonderful!!"

Besides, she thought. Our kids will be able to play together. She thought of the little life in which was now inside her, one of the main reasons why she had invited Rukia over in the first place.

"So, you ready to settle some of those cravings?" Orihime asked.

Rukia nodded. "Yeah," she replied, dismissing her friend's strange silence earlier, "let's go!!"

And then they raced off to the kitchen, where little Rei eagerly awaited her mother and her beloved Aunt Rukia.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Late that night, Ichigo wandered into his bedroom, where sleeping Rukia was waiting. He had met Rita down the hallway, who was sleeping on the couch and talked to her a bit before slowly coming into his room.

Rukia looked so peaceful. She was facing him, her soft face relaxed as she slept, her hair outlining her face perfectly.

He took off his white shirt and black dress pants. He went over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and pulled them on. Then he walked over to the bed, and slowly, trying not to make a sound, and laid down.

Violet eyes shot open as soon as he wrapped an arm around her. "Ichigo," she asked venom dripping from her voice.

He winced. "Yes, Rukia?"

She turned to face him, a sick smile on her face. "WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK I WOULD NEED A BODYGUARD!!?"

"Sorry, Rukia," he replied calmly, sitting up in the process. She followed suit. "I just want you to have protection. Think of the baby—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know 'think of the baby, think of the baby'" she said in a mocking tone. "But I don't NEED her. She's just wasting her time here. She knows, I know, and YOU certainly should know that I can take care of myself!!"

Translucent liquid filled her violet eyes as her hormones took another turn down fall. She hastily wiped them away. "I feel so useless…" she now confessed looking away from him.

He then wrapped her up in a tight embrace. "It's okay," he cooed. "It's just the hormones. And you're not useless…you're one of the greatest people I know."

She looked up at him. "Really?" she asked her eyes brightening up.

"Really," he stated confidently.

She smiled and then laid back down, a sudden tiredness spread over her. Ichigo did the same and soon they lay in the exact position that they did before.

Ichigo yawned and closed his eyes letting sleep take him away.

But he didn't get far.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked. "How did Uryuu take the news?"

It had been their deal to tell Orihime and Uryuu separately. Rukia would tell Orihime and Ichigo would tell Uryuu.

"Fine, he says that you must be pretty brave to carry around my child," he replied smiling. "How did Orihime take the news?"

"She was quiet for the longest time but then she smiled and we ate cookies. She's expecting too, you know?"

"Yeah, Uryuu told me."

Silence.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked again innocence in her voice.

"What is it, Rukia?" he asked, hardly keeping his eyes open.

"I want strawberries."

Groan. They weren't even in season.

_Damn you cravings_.

**Okay, small chapter. Like I said to some of the authors, I had to retype this whole chapter so it's probably not as good as the first.**

**And again I want to apologize for such the long wait. But I stayed up late on a school night just to get this to you!! So, I hope you like it.**

**Also, I would LOVE to hear your suggestions about what you think Ichigo should do to totally tick off Rukia in his overprotective way. Also, I'm trying to do one or two flashbacks about their younger years in each chapter so if you have a suggestion about what you want to see, just review.**

**Reviews are always welcome.**

**Nos Vemos!! **

**(P.S. I finished my other story, so this is my only current multi chaptered story...and I didn't check this for spelling errors…so I'm sorry if anything is spelled wrong…)**


	5. A Walk in the Park

**Okay, so I'm typing on my brand new computer…and it has Microsoft 2007!! It's so cool! I hope I did better on updating this time…I really tried to finish it, I just get so busy!**

**Also, I want to thank whoever it was that suggested that I use someone from the fourth squad in this story to ****protect Rukia while Ichigo was away. So thanks, and I'm so sorry, I couldn't find your review or PM!!**

**DICLAIMER: ****So if you didn't know already, I'm just a lonely fanfiction author…one who does not own Bleach in any way, shape or form…but I will and forever dream…**

The rest of the week went by without much happening. On that Thursday Ichigo and Rukia had gone to their first appointment with the doctor in which would deliver their baby.

They had applied some kind of gel to Rukia's stomach, which was now starting briefly to show the signs of life. They had run a machine around her stomach and the two Soul Reapers watched in awe of the small life inside of Rukia was finally shown.

Now, it was Saturday. They walked through the park, holding hands, just like they used to when they were younger. "So," Ichigo said, attempting start a conversation. "Do you like Rita?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I like her?" Rukia snapped. "I just don't want her to be here. She doesn't need to be, so why should she? I mean, I haven't been attacked by anything let alone a hollow."

"That's very true," Ichigo replied. "I just don't want anything to ever happen. That's Rita's job."

Rukia looked away, groaning slightly. Nothing worked. He would never crack. Not when it came to those who mattered.

……………………………………………………………………

_The stars were so beautiful. They were in the sky like someone had painted them there; like God had wanted only her to see them this wonderful night._

_Rukia sat up on the roof of the Ku__rosaki clinic. She wore only Ichigo's__ t-shirt in which she had found piled on the floor __next to her clothes that were tangled up within each other's._

_She sighed, pulled the t-shirt up higher. For some reason she just wanted to be covered up._

_She never knew that she would feel this way toward the fool, Ichigo. But, here she was, sitting up on his roof, thinking of his sleeping body below._

_It wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't supposed to feel like this. She wasn't supposed to be wondering what would happen the next time their clothes had gotten tangled up with each other's. She wasn't supposed to think about the next time he touched her or kissed__ her__. Yet, here she was thinking of just that._

_Suddenly, there was someone sitting down next to her. She looked up to find the orange haired teenager__ sitting down. He must have__ found his shorts because he was wearing them. He hadn't bothered to put a shirt on…most likely because Rukia was wearing it._

_"Hey," he said, attempting to start a conversation._

_"I'm not sure if we should be talking right now," she told him, glancing his way._

_"Why not?"_

_"You know perfectly why," she replied. "Do you know how wrong this is, Ichigo? Do you know how many laws we are breaking? Hell, all the laws we've broke already just by seeing each other? You know the Soul Society never liked__ our relationship. And now…that it's become…well…. It just isn't right, Ichigo! We're not right!"_

_She had slammed her fists into the roof in frustration._

_"Rukia," Ichigo said so softly that she could hardly hear him. "I know that you're worried about everything. I know…I've known you forever….I just don't understand why you wouldn't hang the rules…you've broken the law many times before. It's not like you would care now."_

_He glanced over to her. Her hair was messy and her face was paler than usual. He could tell that she was thinking deeply on something._

_"Those times were different," she said._

_"How were they?" he asked firmly. "They all involved you and me and breaking the laws; nothing's changed here."_

_She clenched her fists. "I didn't love you back then!" she yelled at the __man,__ who was just so clueless__ it was __ridicules._

_When she realized what she had said__, she quickly looked away feeling warmth rise to her cheeks. Why had she said that? Oh, now she was going to get it._

_Ichigo usually would have smirked and said something cocky. But he turned his head toward the sky. "Look at the stars," he ordered._

_Rukia complied, looking up at the magnificent sky. "My mom used to tell me," __He__ said, "that the stars __were a way to represent something, something that meant a lot to you._

_"A couple days ago, I was up here, just thinking when it occurred to me," he continued, "how much _you_ are like the stars."_

_She gasped and looked over to him._

_"Not because you're beautiful, not because you're anything special," he reassured. "It's because you save me on a regular basis. For even the smallest details, you scold me if I get them wrong. It's because you look at me with those eyes, I feel as if I don't need any other reassurance."_

_"Reassurance for what?"__ Rukia asked._

_"Reassurance," he said. "__So you _can_ be that star…A__nd because your brother will probably kill me when he finds out about this.__"_

_She smiled, feeling her throat choke._

_They sat a while__ in silence. Rukia looked back up to the stars and watched them. And then, as if Ichigo's philosophy came true, she thought__ she saw another star appear__ in the sky, shining brighter than anything else._

_And __she laid her hand on top his_

_………………………………………………………………………………………………………………_

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked, as they sat down for ice cream. "What about baby names? I mean…I'm sure our child would like a name…"

Ichigo licked some of his ice cream and thought for a moment. "Well if it's a girl…we could name her…"

"Masaki," Rukia immediately suggested. "We could name her Masaki Hisana."

Ichigo's face softened.

"Well, I was thinking something like…Keiko or something like that…"

"We could name her that…what about a boy?"

"We could name him Kaien," Ichigo suggested.

Rukia's face hardened.

_"No Kaien…don't leave me…__Kaien…__.D__on't go…you can't go…"_

She blinked very slowly and then looked at him. "Not Kaien," she said, "something else."

They discussed a few more baby names and after they finished their ice cream, they left the parlor and started to head home.

The sun was setting in the sky as Rukia and Ichigo took each other's hands and headed toward their house. There were fewer people at the park than there were earlier. Most of them had gone home.

Rukia looked up. There were a few clouds in the sky, motioning that it would probably rain soon. "Ichigo," she said, still looking at the sky. "Can we stop by the bookstore on our way home? I want to get a few things."

He shrugged and instead of turning the corner to go to their house they continued to go straight.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Rukia backed up against the wall of her bathroom, clutching her stomach. She heard the toilet flush as whatever she had eaten in the past day or so__ go down the drain with it._

_She closed her eyes and leaned her head up against the wall. Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks and neck the heat suffocating her._

_She heard the door open and someone walk inside. She felt a warm body wrap __himself__ up with hers, like he was protecting her from something. _

_"Rukia," he said, his voice muffled by her hair. "Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine," she tried to say in the most normal tone she could conjure up, yet it still sounded weak and fragile, just like she felt right now. "I just have a little cold. That's all."_

_"Right…maybe we should have my dad see you anyway."_

_"I'll stop by the clinic after work," Rukia reassured him, breaking away from his grasp.__ "Don't worry, Ichigo, it's probably just a cold or something…"_

_Rukia didn't tell him, but she had snuck into his office about the week befor__e when she first had gotten sick and had pulled out a few medical books._

_She read for hours, making Ichigo suffer for dinner. Finally, at three in the morning she figured that the really only possible thing that could be wrong with her was the fact that she was probably…_

_Nope, she wasn't going to say it._

Go to the doctor Rukia_, she told herself. _Just go talk to Isshin and see what he thinks first. Then make your crazy predictions

_So after work that day__ she went over to Isshin's house.__When she got there,__ she knocked and Yuzu opened the door. "Yuzu," Rukia said, slightly surprised. "What are you doing here?"_

_"Oh, just helping Dad with a few patients. I guess this is what happens when you come home from college and your father lives in a clinic. Did you need something?"_

_Rukia smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "I just have a couple of questions to ask him."_

_Yuzu shrugged and let Rukia in._

_"Would you like something to drink?__" the nineteen year old girl asked._

_"Uh, no thank you, I'll just wait in the living room."_

_Yuzu nodded and skipped away, going into the kitchen probably t__o bake cookies or work on a fin__al that she had coming up._

_Rukia headed to the living room and watched TV for an hour or before Isshin came in._

_"Rukia?" he asked._

_She looked up at him and stood. "Oh, Isshin it's so nice to see you again."_

_He smiled and replied, "Did you need something?"_

_"Yeah, I actually had a pretty good idea." She looked down at the carpet, suddenly very embarrassed. She dug her toe into the carpet and glanced back up at him. "For the past week or so, I've been throwing up a lot and I read a few of Ichigo's medical books…I think that you need to run some tests…or, you know…"_

_Isshin's eyes widened in recognition.__ "Oh, oh well of course."_

_She smiled and headed off toward one of the rooms._

_Isshin took a blood test and a few others before leaving Rukia in the room. He came back about an hour later__ a look of shock and pure joy written all over his face. Rukia only knew what was coming._

_"Rukia…it seems that your prediction is right," he told her. "You're pregnant."_

_She immediately looked down to her stomach and smiled. "Really?" she asked._

_"Really.__ Rukia I'm so happy for you." For once, and probably the last time, he looked excitement but very content._

_"How am I going to tell Ichigo? And how are we supposed to tell you? I mean, you have to be excited when we tell you…"_

_"You can tell Ichigo whenever you like, just make sure it is before, you know, the baby's born. And you can tell Yuzu, Karin, and myself next week at dinner. As for the excitement…I've already got that planned."_

_Rukia nodded, happy for an answer, yet a little worried about Isshin had planned._

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

It started to rain as soon as Ichigo and Rukia got home that evening. They ran inside, soaking wet to find Rita on the couch, with the TV on, and inspecting the remote.

"Oh, Mr. Kurosaki, Miss Rukia, you're home!" she yelped standing. "I was wondering…how do you work this contraction? There are sure a lot of buttons."

Rukia smiled, stepped forward and took the remote away from Rita. "First of all," she told Rita, "stop with this 'Mr. Kurosaki, Miss Rukia' stuff. We're just Ichigo and Rukia. You not anything less than we are. And second…"

She started pointing out buttons like how to switch the channel, which channels were Chappi invested, how to turn it on and off, and several more.

Ichigo watched them until he heard the doorbell ring.

He turned around, headed toward the door, just slightly confused. It was nearly nine o clock. Who would want them at this hour?

He opened the door and gasped, immediately wanting to close it.

Who other but Captain Kuchiki was standing in front of him? Who else but the man who hated him so much had two large suitcases and was in a gigai.

"By—Byakuya," he stuttered. "Wha—what are you doing here?"

"Surprised, Kurosaki?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated.

"I've come to stay with you until Rukia's baby is born. I surely can't trust her AND her baby's life in your hands, can I?" The slightest smirk came to his lips.

Ichigo glared.

"Ichigo?" he heard Rukia question. "Ichigo you who is—ah! Nii-sama? What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you till…like…Christmas…"

"I've decided to spend the next eight months and help Rita watch over you."

Rukia tried not to groan.

Yet, another person was going to "protect" her.

Ichigo still hadn't taken his eyes off of the man in front of him. Byakuya was staying with them? For eight months? _Oh, dear lord. Why do you hate me?_ He thought as Rukia helped Byakuya with her bags and took them into the spare bedroom, just across the way from his own.

**There's another chapter. I know nothing at all pretty much happened, I just wanted this to be like a transition chapter into the next few chapters.**

**I think they'll be two or three more chapters after this.**

**I also want to thank Emma0707 for the request (or rather joke) on Byakuya on being an overprotective uncle!!**

**Nos****Vemos**


	6. The Hollow

**Okay, so I'm having a little time skip. Nearly two months later so Rukia would be about…three months pregnant (yes, in the last chapter she was nearly a month…I'm sorry if that confused anyone…)**

**I FINALLY SAW THE RUKIA/KAIEN EPISODE!!! WOO!!**** It was so sweet yet so sad. I think I cried a bit. The only thing I didn't like about it was I didn't like Kaien's dubbed voice; he looks like Ichigo, so I guess I assumed he would sound like him too…****which he didn't at all.**

**And I also want to thank S-Wanderer999 for the other amazing suggestion!!!**

**Okay Zapenbits is done rambling now. Get on with reading.**

**Oh!! And I don't own Bleach. But I do own Rita and the little baby inside Rukia's stomach…wait tha****t didn't come out right…**

Rukia didn't know how much longer she could stand having Ichigo, Rita, and her brother here. Two days had been okay, two weeks had been alright, but now, it had been nearly two months since her brother came to live with her. Between the morning sickness, Ichigo's sweaters, no tea, Rita asking every single minute how to work something, and Byakuya's stare Rukia felt as if she was going to explode.

She now sat on the couch flipping through different channels just trying to think of something to do. Ever since Rita came, she cleaned and cooked despite Rukia's protests. She really was excited to meet her and Ichigo.

Byakuya spent a lot of time at the library. Rukia was sure he was down there because he refused to be helped by Ichigo or Rukia with modern day appliances; she remembered seeing a sack full of "Modern Computers for Dummies" "Microwaves for Dummies" and "How to Handle Bother–in–laws for Dummies" along with several others that he had hastily hidden under his bed when Rukia entered his bedroom to see if he was hungry.

Sigh…

Nothing was on.

Boredom was the thing on Rukia's mind. For the past two months she had sat on the couch, doing absolutely nothing. She even getting tired of Chappi the Rabbit! It was preposterous!! What could possibly even start to persuade her to not want to watch Chappi?

Oh, right; the little one inside of her. Herself and Ichigo had decided against knowing what the baby was until it was born. He had thought it would be a lot more fun at home for Rukia to guess what it was.

In a way it was. When she would sit home and it was pouring rain outside, she would just think about what the baby would be like. Would it be tall like Ichigo, or short like herself? Would she or he have black hair or orange hair? Would it have violet or amber eyes?

There was only one thing Rukia was sure of. This baby, whatever it was, was going to be the most stubborn child ever to be born.

Speaking of the baby, she thought as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Rita!" she called out.

There was the sound of the vacuum in another room brutally been shut off as the young Soul Reaper came running out. "What is it, Rukia?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she replied smiling and resting a hand on her stomach. "The baby's kicking. I want you to feel it. Come here."

Rita cautiously walked over to Rukia and rested her hands on Rukia's stomach. Another kick came, and Rita jumped back. "Wow," she whispered. "That was amazing. Oh, how I wish for the day that I have a child."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

_Two and a Half Months Ago…_

_It was silent at the Kurosaki dinner table. Yuzu and Karin never looked up from their rice, they just ate it in silence. Ichigo and Rukia glanced at each other every so often. Rita ate her rice and dumplings to __preoccupied__ to notice the battle between _her_ brother and _his_ father._

_Byakuya and Isshin hadn't touched their food. They sat there, staring at each other. "So," Ichigo said, trying to break the ice. "How was the clinic, Dad?"_

_No answer. _

_Ichigo looked over to Rukia __and she looked back, worried look plastered on her face. _

_Ever since she and Ichigo had told Byakuya everything about what had happened with them and the Soul Society, he had never really approved of Rukia brother. I mean, what kind of brother would just let their little sister die, like Byakuya was ready to do so willingly to Rukia?_

_"Nii–sama," Rukia tried next. "Have you figured out how to work the remote yet? I knew that you were having a bit of difficulty with it."_

_"Yeah," Isshin finally spoke. "Why don't you tell us, Byakuya? How are you doing in the living world?"_

_"Fine," Byakuya replied coolly__He picked up his spoon, circled it a few times in his tea, and brought the cup up to his__ lips and drank a little of it._

_"Mmm," Isshin went on. "I'm sure a man of your standards must be a little frustrated__ that you can't do something that even people like your _sister_ can do."_

_"_Dad_…" Ichigo mumbled._

_"No, Ichigo, let me finish," Isshin __said. "__No, I'm serious. If I was to go to your world and have to become a Soul Reaper for the first time…well I would just have to pick up a copy of "Killing Souls for Dummies."_

_Rukia looked over to her brother who had now set down his cup and stood. "Well, that shouldn't be a problem for __you," Byakuya replied. "Not even Killing Souls for Dummies would help you in the Soul Society, Kurosaki."_

_Isshin stood and slammed his fists down on the table. Ichigo and Rukia were up two seconds later in order to pull __Isshin back from attacking Captain Kuchiki._

_"Dad, dad!!"__ Ichigo tried yelling over his screaming father._

_"You, you BASTARD!!!"__ Isshin yelled. "You let your sister to die!! If it weren't for Ichigo she would be dead right now!! Why are you here, Byakuya?__! Are you here because you want to be or was it a mission!!"_

_Byakuya looked over to Isshin and stated simply. "Well, you seem to have a high temper, Kurosaki. Mmm, I guess it's like father like son."_

_Ichigo looked over to the man in which he been protecting not three seconds before. "Okay, that's it!" Ichigo said rolling up his sleeves._

_Ichigo was leaning half way across table trying to kill Byakuya when Rukia side stepped in front of her brother. "Rukia?" he questioned. "What are you doing!? Get out of the way!"_

_"No," Rukia replied. "Then she turned around to Rita and said, "Rita, I believe that Byakuya is ready to go home now."_

_Rita looked up from her eighth dumpling. "What?"_

_"Take Byakuya back to the apartment." Rukia stated again only this with a sick do-it-now-or-I'll-kill-you look. Rita wiped her mouth immediately and stood up. She took a hold of Byakuya's arm and led him toward the door._

_Once it slammed shut, Rukia turned back to the two fuming Kurosaki men and asked, "Now, where were we?"_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Rukia smiled. "That's all I wanted to show you," she said to Rita. "If you want to stay here, that's fine, or if you want to go somewhere or meet someone else here…I'm sure you could. I'll be fine alone."

Rita laughed a little. "No way Rukia. I know that you rather not have me here. But it's my job to protect you. I'll never leave your side, mood swings and all."

Rukia could feel her anger rising a little. Mood swings! She didn't have mood swings! Yeah sure, she might get angry over little things every once in a while but she NEVER EVER had mood swings!

"Rita," she said, trying to keep your cool. "I can take care of myself, everyone here knows that! Yet all of you insist on protecting me!"

"That's because you're not only protecting yourself," Rita explained rather calmly. "You have a baby now, it's different."

"How?" Rukia pushed. "I just want to be left alone for a little while! And that's kinda hard when your husband calls you every ten minutes to check up on you, your brother gives you that "you making a huge mistake" look and A LITTLE SNOT NOSED BRAT BREATHING DOWN YOUR NECK!!!"

She ended not fully comprehending what she had just said. Rita backed away a bit. Tears filled her bright blue eyes filling up with tears. Rukia Kurosaki…her idol…the person she wanted to be just like when she was older…that person just called her a brat.

The phone rang at that moment. "AH, I wander who it is?!" Rukia shrieked. She walked to the door, practically broke the hinges just to get it open and slammed it shut.

Rita walked to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?" she said, trying to make the tears go away. Soul Reapers weren't supposed to show emotion after all.

"Rita?" of course, it was Ichigo. "Is Rukia there?"

"We were just on our way out," Rita told him. "She's just using the restroom before we leave…can I take a message?"

"No, that's all right. I was just calling to check up on her."

"Okay, alright, yeah, all talk to you soon….bye."

Rita hung up the phone and went to the couch. She sat down on the couch and sighed. Then, she heard a cry in the distance. It sounded a lot like Rukia…or something worse…much worse…

_Crap_.

There was a hollow.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Rukia was fuming. If she were in a cartoon, steam would have been flying out of her ears. She was so made that she didn't realize what she had said to Rita. Under any other circumstance, she would have never said something like that.

It was just…it was just…

Hot tears fell down the raven-haired woman's face. Damn these emotions, she thought as she stormed down the sidewalk.

There was a cry and Rukia looked up instantly. As she looked in the distance, she saw something in which her husband, brother, and Rita had tried to protect her from

There was a hollow with a white mask and huge fangs lunging toward her. "Mmm," she heard it sneer as he ran closer. "A Soul Reaper. I haven't had one of them in a while. Though you don't look like one yourself. And you smell especially good. What's your secret?"

Rukia froze.

She didn't know what to do at that moment. She looked down at her stomach. That's right, she thought. This baby must have a ton of spiritual energy, because of Ichigo.

"You don't talk, girl?" the hollow sneered. "How disappointing. Does that mean you can't scream either, when I eat you?"

The monster laughed and lunged toward her. He was crashing down. Rukia shut her eyes, unable to move or think.

But pain never came. She opened her eyes slowly to find a woman with short brown hair and bright blue eyes in a shinigami robe, a Soul Reaper.

Rita.

She shoved the hollow off of herself. Blood trickled down the young Soul Reaper's arm and her face was sweaty. She was breathing hard.

"You okay?" she managed to ask Rukia.

She turned around to find the violet-eyed shinigami speechless. "Rita…" she finally whispered, "Rita, I'm fine. But what about you?"

The girl grinned, her eyes sparkling. "I've never fought a real hollow before. Actually, I'm just good for saving peoples' lives not protecting them in the first place. But there's a first time for everything."

Rita turned back around to face the hollow in which was coming down on her. She smiled, as if she was having fun.

"Ye Lord," Rita called up to the hollow in which was coming down on her. "Mask of Blood and Flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, Inferno and pandemonium, sea barrier surges, March onto the South! Way of Destruction number 31, Red Flame Canon!!"

A red ball of fire flew out of her hands and toward the hollow. Though part of the fourth squad, Rita had learned several of the same techniques that regular Soul Reapers learned. She had a very high spiritual pressure, yet it wasn't high enough to join a squad of a higher rank.

The hollow screamed out in pain and stumbled backward. "Red Flame Canon!" she screamed again and this time the hollow faded away slowly to heaven or not, Rukia did not know.

Rita fell to her knees. Rukia immediately ran to her, trying to ignore the baby, in which was kicking her very hard at the moment.

She turned Rita over and examined her arm. She would be okay, but Rukia could not heal her; she wasn't sure how the baby would react. So she knelt down to the very shallow breathing Rita and held her head up. "Do you have a phone?" Rukia asked her. Surely she would have brought her Soul Reaper pager.

"Yeah…" Rita mumbled. She pulled out a phone alright.

The house phone.

"Oh, Rita, not that one," Rukia laughed. "No, do you have the cell phone Ichigo gave to you, in case of an emergency."

"Oh, yeah…" she pulled another phone and handed it to Rukia.

Rukia dialed the number, her fingers strumming on her thigh as she waited for Ichigo to pick up. "Rukia…" she heard Rita mumble.

Rukia looked down to her at once and asked, "What?"

"I'm sorry that I'm a snot nosed brat. I'm not trying to be," Rita replied. The blue-eyed girl broke her gaze as tears filled up her innocent eyes.

"Rita," Rukia said firmly, covering the talking piece of the phone up with her hand. "I didn't mean those things I said back there. I was just…it was just….It was very uncalled for and I shouldn't have done it. So, there's nothing to apologize for. Actually, I'M the one who should be saying sorry."

Rita smiled. "No need," she said. "I'm gonna take what you said and I'm gonna use it. I'll train and train and train till I'm as strong as you are. Then, I'll be exactly like you."

Rukia giggled as the phone rang on. "Don't try to be like me," Rukia replied. "Just be yourself. And trust me, if you do that…you never know. Maybe you'll be the one who's pregnant with YOUR orange-haired husband being overprotective, a brother who keeps giving you THAT damn look, and me to watch over you."

Rita's smile shined. "Thanks, Miss—I mean, Rukia."

Rita started to shut her eyes welcoming the darkness that took her as it swept her away in unconsciousness.

"Hello, Kurosaki Clinic?" a woman FINALLY answered at the other end of the phone. "How can I help you today?"

"Yeah," Rukia replied. "This is Rukia Kurosaki. I need to speak with my husband, Doctor Ichigo Kurosaki. Tell him his pregnant wife needs his assistance."

"Miss, Dr. Kurosaki is with a patient—"

"Tell him that his wife needs him," Rukia interrupted. "Trust me, he'll come running."

**Yet, another chapter completed.**** I finally decided how long it's gonna be and I'll only have a couple (three at the most) chapter with an epilogue (so three or four more.)**

**Things start speeding up in the next chapter!! Trust me!!**


	7. Now or Never

**Here's the next chapter. I don't own Bleach.**

**WARNING: I just want to say that there is some major early IchiRuki fluff during the flashbacks (at least the second one) and speaking of the second one, I kinda took a quote from a certain television show because I knew it would be amazing for that flashback. ****And, they might be just a tad OOC, but hey, they're in love. They can't be the same way forever.**

**Get over it.**

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Six Years Ago…_

_"Rukia," Ichigo stated one night while flipp__ing through his magazine. He __lay__ sideways on his bed so he had perfect view of the shinigami in front of him. He glanced up from the glossy pages to see the raven-haired girl staring up at him, waiting for him to continue._

_It's now or never. He HAD to know._

_"Who was that man that Byakuya said I looked like before you went away?" he questioned curiously before leaning over a bit suspecting that her answer would be very soft._

_Her eyes down casted. "He__ was no one," she replied._

_"He has to be someone," Ichigo chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed that the room became a__ few degrees colder__. "I mean he can't be no one…__.W__hy would your brother of all people know about him? He must have been important somehow. Who was he?"_

_"No one, Ichigo.__ Just finish reading."_

_"Come on, Rukia," he pushed. "Just tell me something about him and then I'll never ask about him again."_

_Rukia rolled her eyes and looked away. "His name was Kaien," she finally answered. "He was my captain'__s former vice captain__. He died."_

_She looked back down at her magazine and continued to flip the pages, not paying to__ any of the words or pictures on the page. Why would Ichigo ask such a question?_

_"How did he die?" he asked next._

_"Why do you want to know?" Rukia asked._

_"Why won't you tell me?"_

_"It's bigger than you, Ichigo," she told him coldly. "It's not something that you think you can go and __change. Don't think you can b__ecause you can't."_

_"Are you talking about me or you?" was his next question._

_She looked up at him suddenly her eyes full of hatred. "I was talking about…" she stated firmly though her eyes betrayed her. Ichigo saw it. Who was this guy? And how had he made Rukia feel like this?_

_"Who was he?" Ichigo asked slowly._

_Rukia knew that no matter how hard she tried she would never win this fight. She knew that eventually she would have to tell Ichigo about Kaien. It was better she then someone else after all._

_"Kaien was__ the__l__ieutenant__ of Captain Ukitake's squad. His wife was, Miyako, was my idol. I wanted to be just like her.__ She was beautiful, smart,__ kind__…_

_"__The first day I met him...I w__as so nervous. Everyone believed__ that because I was adopted into a noble family that I was just another one of those jerks that think they're better than everyone else. I wasn't and still am not that way. I was nervous about meeting my captain._

_"I mean, what would he think of me? __A shinigami, barely out of the Soul Academy just because her older brother had arranged it__ to be in his squad?__ I fully understood that he might not want me._

_"But I didn't get to meet the captain that day. I met someone else. I met Lieutenant __Kaien__. He treated as if I was just some other worthless shinigami. It was that sense of normalcy I needed."_

_She continued on with her story as Ichigo leaned forward, listening. He didn't want to miss this. He had been wondering for quite some time now about that man. Kaien was his name. Why had Byakuya said he had "A striking resemblance to him" and why had Rukia reacted the way she did._

_Did he look like him?_

_Was she in love with this Kaien?_

_But he was married and she admired his wife. _Because she was nice, kind, beautiful but mostly because she was with him_, a little voice in the back of his mind whispered._

_She went on about a mission that Kaien's wife had been given. She told him of the hollow attack and how Miyako had slain her own men, because the hollow had taken over her._

_She said that Kaien went after her with herself and__ Captain Ukitake in tow. When they had__ arrived, Miyako__ was dead. And he attack__ed__ the hollow just to be slain himself. The hollow took over his body and she was told to run away._

_"But I went back," she said, her eyes sad as rain. "It was raining and I felt so cold. I was afraid. I didn't want Kaien's body to be treated like that. So I went back. And the hollow came down and I stabbed him."_

_Ichigo went forward a bit more._

_"Before Kaien __died, __he regained consciousness and told me thank you and he was glad that he could leave his heart with me. __But I deserved no thanks. I didn't go back because I HAD to save him. I went back because I was scared to lose him. I only saved myself that night. __No one else_especially _Kaien.__ That's__ it. That's the story. Happy?"_

_She ended sarcastically but Ichigo could sense grief behind those violet eyes__. Who was this guy? And how did he make Rukia feel this way? Was he that important? Did she love him?_

_And that led to something else. __Would she cry or feel grief if he died?__ And if she did, what did that mean? Did it mean that she loved him?_

_He smirked. Yeah, right. She wouldn't grief and she doesn't and couldn't love him. __Simple as that._

_But still the question nagged at him. "Why did Byakuya say that I have a striking resemblance to him?" was his next question._

_She smiled slightly not looking up from her magazine. "Because," she replied casually, "you look exactly like him, except his hair was much darker than yours, _Strawberry_."_

_He nodded and went back to his magazine._

_Hours later, the questions still ran through his mind. Had Rukia really been in love? And with a guy who was, one, married and two, looked exactly like Ichigo? It didn't seem right. That wasn't like Rukia. Of course this was before she was probably all bottled up and never told her feelings to anyone. Hell, that probably WAS the reason she was that way._

_He laid there, the moon shining on his ceiling, stars sparkling outside pondering the thoughts. And then, he had to tell her something. He had to tell her SOMETHING that might finally break that wall she had built, glued, cemented, locked, and threw away the key, around that lonely heart of hers._

_He got out of bed and walked over to her closet. He pulled it open to find her sleeping figure inside. "Rukia?" he said ever so quietly._

_But it was just enough._

_An eye lid popped open. "What do you want, Ichigo? Idiot, it's too__ late to__ talk. Go back to bed."_

_She rolled over so she was facing the other way._

_"Rukia," he said again._

_"_What_!?"_

_"__I wanted to tell you, that even if some hollow takes over my body and kills me," he told her, very calm to say the least. "I never want you to think that I died as a shinigami to be your fault. You came here and gave me a purpose. Okay?"_

_She smiled __slightly;__ sleep still clinging to her violet orbs._

_"Alright," she replied._

_"Good." He started to head back to bed when a voice stopped him._

_It said, "Just don't let your wife go out and try to fight a hollow that has killed ever__y__ other shinigami it's faced."_

_"I won't."_

_He looked back at her and grinned. __A cocky, I-know-what-I'm-doing grin.__ "Yeah," he told her. "I'll never let anything happen to _you_ either."_

_She smiled._

_And he smiled._

_And then, somewhere up above, a smiling former Lieutenant and his wife grinned, watching the girl they had loved so much finally break that wall that surrounded her. _

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Indeed, Ichigo had arrived at the scene just three minutes after one of the nurses told him that his pregnant wife needed him. It seemed very strange that that would happen, considering his work was nearly forty five minutes away from the "scene of the crime" in the terms Ichigo called it.

And indeed, there were six traffic tickets that fell out of Ichigo's jean pockets as he pulled out his cell phone to call the clinic and say that he would need the rest of the day off.

Two nights later, after Orihime had successfully healed Rita and Rita had received a shower of compliments, Rukia, Rita, Ichigo, Byakuya, Orihime, and Uryuu went out to where ever Rita wanted.

After much thought and several hours on the internet, phone book, and Rukia's nerves (though Rukia was still too touched to get _that_ annoyed) she decided that she wanted to go to the ramen shop down the street.

Out of all the places they ended up at just a plain restaurant down the street.

Rukia let Rita explore her closet, touching different dresses and whatever else she thought was "So pretty!" and had to try on. In the end, she had picked out a light blue sundress thin straps and two huge, white daisies on it. Then, she sat down at Rukia's dresser while Rukia did her hair.

She had very soft hair, Rukia noticed as she pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail.

"Rukia," Rita said. "Thanks so much again for doing this for me. You wouldn't _believe_ how many nice things the captain has paged me. She said I was doin' a real good job…"

Rukia smiled as the girl, not looking older than fifteen or sixteen years old, rambled on and on about how much she loved it here.

…………………………………………………………………….

_Four and a Half Years Ago…_

_They had been forced to do this. It was just a dare. Just a dare…just a dare…_

_That's what Ichigo kept telling himself as he waited at the table for a certain raven-haired shinigami. He twiddled his thumbs. _Damn, why am I so nervous_? He thought._

_It had been a simple truth or dare game at lunchtime on Friday. Ichigo shouldn't have even been INVOLVED if it wasn't for that damn girl that was late at this point._

_Keigo had wanted to play truth or dare__. And Ichigo, of course, said no. So, Keigo had asked Rukia, Tatsuki, Orihime, along with every other one of their group to join. _

_And so, reluctantly, Ichigo had joined along._

_And _of course_ he would pick dare (who would be a sissy enough NOT to pick dare). And _of course_ a selected few of his classmates had huddled up contemplating the possibilities. And they had come up with this._

_"Are you just going to sit there and act like an idiot, or are you actually going to try and act polite tonight?" a sour voice asked from behind him_

_He stood up to see a glaring Rukia. Her arms crossed over a light blue sun dress with thin straps and two huge daises on it and her hair up in a messy ponytail, she seethed._

_SHE was the problem._

_Not only did the dare involve her. It involved her in the most uncomfortable situation! He had to go out on a date with her._

_Wait let's repeat it: _He had to take her out on a date!

_It was…was…unthinkable. __Them?__On a date?__ What was wrong with this? Shouldn't they be out fighting a hollow or something rather than sitting in this__ Italian restaurant thinking of__ just HOW uncomfortable they were?_

_"Yeah, whatever."__ He pulled the chair out for her and she sat down. He shot his tongue out at the back of her head before he sat back down at his assigned seat._

_They didn't speak._

_They ordered and they sat there in pure silence. It weighed down on them like the weight of not being able to breathe underwater. When their food came, both picked at it wondering when this night would be over._

_Ichigo actually looked decent tonight, Rukia thought picking up a bit of rice.__ He was wearing a nice shirt and slacks. It was a change._

_It seemed that in the past few months__ things had felt different between them. She was always mad about something and usually took her anger out on him. He had suffered what seemed to be "stomach pains" too in the past month. Every time the brushed by each other or near each other, Ichigo's heart would race, his sixteen year old hormones would shoot, rocket high._

_And to resolve those emotions they would talk…yell…and eventually scream._

_She actually looks and is __acting civilized tonight, Ichigo__ thought sipping his drink._

_They went on a while not speaking._

_Ichigo thought back to that day when it happened. Keigo knew that Ichigo would have played if Rukia did. Not because he wanted to, it was because Rukia was t__o__o ignorant to even know how to play. So, technically this was all HER fault._

_And he repeated his thought out loud, very low so she wouldn't hear. "This is __all _your_ fault, you know," he whispered._

_She heard it._

_"Excuse me?" she questioned looking up from her dinner. "I believe this is __YOUR fault__ considering the fact that it was YOUR dare that got us here."_

Keep your cool, Ichigo_, he thought wearily._

_"Yes, but if you wouldn't have showed up to play I would've had to play. Therefore this is entirely YOUR fault." She glared dropping her fork and folding her arms._

_"I can take care of myself. And I'm not in control of you," she said. "You didn't have to play."_

_"You wouldn't understand."_

_"Then why don't you draw it for me so I can."_

_Their voices were quite loud by now, causing a few disturbances in the restaurant. "Crap," Ishida said at another table with Orihime across the way; they weren't sent to go and spy on the two shinigami. So far, the whole "love connection"__ thing __wasn't working._

_Ichigo stood up and slammed his hands down on the table. "This is YOUR FAULT!!" he yelled._

_Rukia stood up also. "YOURS!" she cried, like a two year old._

_Several waiters were headed over to check on the "happy" couple._

_"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, ICHIGO!!" she yelled._

_"YOU__'__R__E__ SUCH AN IDIOT!!" he screamed._

_"I HATE YOU!!"_

_"NOT AS MUCH AS I HATE YOU!!"_

_Thos__e__ feelings stirred as they yelled. Stomachs dropped and hearts raced._

_It was now or never._

_So, she did__ it_

_"DO YOU WANT TO KISS ME AS MUCH AS I WANT TO KISS YOU?!!!" she yelled grabbing the edge of the table cloth._

_"I'M SURPRISED SOMEONE AS SMART AS YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK!!!" he yelled back._

_And suddenly Rukia had her hand in his orange hair and he had his hands planted firmly on her shoulders, their lips smashing up against one another's._

_It was a __very__ unexpected first kiss to say the least._

_Yet, neither one of them pulled away._

_Screaming to kissing, ironically, that's what you call love._

_Missi__on accomplished, thought Ishida._

………………………………………………………………

Dinner was nice. They ate while talking and laughing, all except Byakuya who kept glancing Rita's way. He had been staring at her for quite some time. Rukia was about to give him a hard time about it saying things like "Ooo, Nii-sama has a little crush" or simply, "Byakuya quit staring, it's rude" but she rejected against the idea. He was probably trying to figure her out.

He was a strange man, Rukia concluded.

"Where is Rei, anyhow?" Rukia asked, eating some rice.

"She's at Mr. Kurosaki's house," Orihime replied. "I went through the whole phone book and not one babysitter was available tonight. And I remembered that Mr. Kurosaki said that he would watch Rei any time so…I just left her with him."

Ichigo almost chocked. "My father?" he croaked. "Are you sure that you wanted to do that? I mean when our kid is born, my father will be the last resort for a babysitter. And I mean LAST."

Orihime chucked. "Your father's really nice, and he likes kids. I'm sure Rei will be fine."

Ichigo shook his head, smiling a bit and went back to his dinner.

"Rukia?" Rita questioned sometime later. "Have you and Ichigo thought of any names yet for your baby?"

Ichigo and Rukia passed glances at each other. Actually they hadn't really talked about it that much. They didn't know what it was and they didn't really have anything to call it besides naming it something after Ichigo's mom or Kaien.

"We really haven't thought about it," Ichigo replied.

"Oh, alright," Rita replied, looking back down at her food.

"Is something wrong?" Rukia asked, sensing something wrong with the girl.

She looked up and smiled. "Oh no, there's nothing wrong. I'm just thinking." Suspicion still clung to Rukia's eyes but she nodded and went back to her food.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_Three and a Half Years Ago…_

_He clung to her wrist and squeezed it slightly. Translucent tears fell down the young raven-haired woman's face as she reached out to the window. A young man's__ eyes__, was determined and confused._

_"Why are you leaving again?" he asked quietly._

_She didn't answer._

_Rain fell down outside. Thunder boomed and lightning crashed._

_He asked the question again. "Why are you leaving?"_

_They stayed in that position for what seemed like forever._

_Rukia still would not answer him. The truth was__ she couldn't. __Her feelings, her emotions had gotten in the way. They had established a relationship just two months ago. They had __went__ out, held hands, slept in the same bed. Yet, Rukia couldn't do it._

_They couldn't behind the Soul Society's back. It just wasn't right. Though she wasn't a SLAVE to the rules anymore, she still felt like she should follow them in some way._

_And so, this was her solution. She would run away, going to Urahara's shop and then flee to the Soul Society and off to a district where she would hideout for a while._

_But he had come here earlier than she thought he would. And they had ended up here, his hand grasped firmly on her wrist._

_"Please let go," she asked._

_"No," he replied. "Not until you tell me why you're away."_

_"Just let go, Ichigo. It'll be easier this way. Please."_

_She almost begged. He c__ould the __plea in her voice._

_"No. Tell me!"_

_"I can't do this!" she screamed. "I can't do this!"_

_He pulled her into a tight embrace before she could continue. He knew Rukia better than __anyone,__ he knew when she was lying, telling the truth, worried, or whatever__ else that might be going through that head of hers._

_"I can't behind their back…" she whispered. "I—I can't…"_

_She sounded defeated._

_"Don't worry," he told her his voice ever so confident. "We can make this work…we can…"_

_"But…but…"_

_He pulled her away, his hands planted firmly on her shoulders. "Look at me," he commanded. She looked up at him her face very dry looking. "If we love each other, we can make this work. Okay? Do want to make this work? Do you want to be with me?"_

_"What kind of stupid question is that? Idiot…I thought you were supposed to know everything about me," she replied, smiling. "Of course I want to be with you."_

_It was now or never, he thought._

_He smiled. "Then stay with me."_

_And suddenly, in those four words, Rukia understood. She knew that no matter how hard she tried she would never escape him. Their paths would always be intertwined. Better to flow with the river rather than go against the tide, she concluded._

_"I'll stay," was her answer._

_And stay she was what she did._

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

After dinner and many eventful stories, the Kurosaki's along with Rita and Byakuya walked to their house and inside. Byakuya went straight to bed.

Rita went shortly after still acting strange. Rukia and Ichigo stayed up a while, watching TV, talking about what they were going to do with a baby room…

And finally, after much discussion and old reruns Ichigo and Rukia trudged up to bed. Ichigo went inside their room and went to bed after putting a pair of shorts on. Rukia on the other and thought she heard slight whimpering coming from the bathroom.

She walked over to the bathroom door and opened it, to find Rita on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chin, and crying.

Rukia immediately went over to her. "Rita," Rukia asked. "Rita, what's wrong?"

She didn't seem to notice that Rukia was even there. "Rita?" Rukia touched her shoulder and the girl looked up, bright blue eyes stared at violet ones. "Rita? Come on, you can tell me."

Suddenly, the girl looked as if she finally realized that Rukia was even there. "Oh, Rukia," she said slowly. "Rukia I'm fine. Just miss home, that's all. Don't worry about me."

_She's lying_, Rukia thought.

So, Rukia leaned herself up on the wall and smiled, closing her eyes a bit. "You remind me a lot of Orihime," she said. "Though she may be in pain, she'll never admit it. She would just want everyone to be happy. You're like that." Rukia glanced at the girl, who was wiping her nose of her arm, trying to get the tears to go away. She continued, "Now, tell me what's wrong."

Rita looked up to the ceiling. "I've prayed," she started. "I've prayed for an opportunity like this. When I grew up in the sixty-eighth district I hoped that I had enough spiritual energy to leave there and go to the Soul Reaper School. When I did that, I couldn't wait to become a Soul Reaper. I studied and never had fun. Instead of going to parties, I studied. Instead of making friends, I made enemies.

"By the time I became a Soul Reaper, I realized that I didn't have anyone. And then, my captain sent me here. I was so happy. I mean, I got to meet you and Ichigo, my greatest idols. My only "friends" during school. When I got here, you had so many friends, and you were so happy.

"Tonight, you shared stories of old times and talked to one another like you had know each other forever. You and Orihime and Ishida-kun and Ichigo are what I've always wanted. I want to share stories and laugh and…and—"

A fit of sobbing coughs came over her. Rukia patted her on the back until it was over. "And now that you mention it," Rukia said quietly. "You're a lot like me too. During my lifetime after Vice Captain Kaien died, I felt so withdrawn from everyone. Then I met Ichigo. And Orihime, Ishida, Chad, Tatsuki, and all the other people at Karakura High School. I felt like I belonged somewhere.

"So, being the robotic Soul Reaper that I was, I ran away. I couldn't deal those worthless human emotions. Of course, Renji and my brother found me and, after fighting with Ishida and Ichigo, they took me away, back to the Soul Society. You probably know the rest of the story.

"I've haven't told anyone that I ran away from my emotions before. It feels good to get it off my chest. It feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Rita replied. She looked almost like a child. Of course, Rukia thought. That's all she was. She was just a kid in this big world. She doesn't need to live it the way I did.

"I have this feeling," Rukia said after a while, "that you'll make lots of friends here. After all, you're pretty, smart, sweet, and an amazing fighter. You'll do just fine."

Rita smiled saving the rest of her tears for another time. "Thanks Rukia," she replied, a true smile spread across her face. "You'll always be my best friend."

Rukia would have smiled if she didn't feel a sharp kick. "What?" she whispered to her kicking baby. "Are you jealous?"

"What?" Rita questioned.

"Here, give me your hand."

Rita obliged and Rukia set it on her stomach. Not two minutes later did the baby kicked again. Rita's face lit up. "Oh wow, it sure does like to kick."

"I think it's jealous of me," Rukia replied. "It wants to be your best friend. Is that it?" she spoke to her stomach next. "Are jealous because you think I'll steal your Aunt Rita from you? No way, I could never do that. What kind of mother would I be?"

Rukia snuck a glance at Rita and smiled.

She had her. '

The girl had tears flowing down her face with joy just hearing that she was part of Rukia's family.

**Yay!! Rita has a family. I know that last part was one, kinda boring, and two, made Rita seem kinda like a Mary Sue****-****ish****—maybe? Not even sure what that is but…I dunno. I thought that'd I'd put some of her history in there.**

**An****d I wanted to give you a little quiz. Why did I name this chapter ****Now**** or Never? HINT: it has something to do with the flashbacks. Free cookies for anyone who can guess it!!**

**Also, I put a new story on here a few days ago called "Like the Rain." It's ****a**** oneshot with a letter written from Orihime to Rukia (though she probably never sent it) about Ichigo. ****IchiRuki oneshot.**** What can I say? ****Gotta love IchiRuki.**

**Adios!!**


	8. The Baby Shower

**Here's the next chapter!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, I will probably never own Bleach, and I don't want to own Bleach because it's perfect the way it is**** (except it could use just a smidge more IchiRuki)****. So please…just stop asking.**

"Rangiku?" Momo asked one boring day in the Soul Society. "What did we _DO_ when we didn't have some war or hollows…or SOMETHING to fight, around here?"

"Go to the bar, drink a lot, get wasted…" The blond Soul Reaper replied, trailing off.

"We should do something," Momo said. "What do you think Rukia's up to? What is she now, six months pregnant?"

Motsumoto's eyes widened. She realized at that moment what they were going to do. She stood up about knocking her desk over in the process. "I have an idea," she told Momo.

"What? What is it?"

"We are going to throw Rukia a baby shower! We'll have punch and food and Orihime can come with me and you…Oh this is going to be so great!!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………

_Sixty years ago…_

_"Now, Rita," Mrs. __Hoktawa__ said, extending her left index finger, showing that she was about to make a point__. "You need to take of yourself in that big Soul Reaper school, always use the buddy system, __NEVER__ go into dark alleys…"_

_Rita's mother continued to talk while Rita soaked in the last few moments that she would be home. Her house was very small.__ It was in shape of a hut and was made of extra straw that the horses and cows didn't eat, along with mud that had dried and held it up. There were flowers planted outside their home along with beautiful cherry blossom trees. There was a farm behind their house, where Mr. Hoktawa was sure to be tending too, whether it was with the cows, horses, or the garden._

_Though, Rita couldn't wait to leave this place, she__ DID wish she could stay just a bit longer. It was almost as if she would never be back. In a way, after graduating school and after becoming a Soul Reaper, __she would probably never be home._

_Especially if she became a seated officer.__ That was what she really wanted. And if that happened, she would just one step closer __to becoming her lifelong dream: the captain of one of the thirteen court guard squads._

_"Mom?"__ Rita asked. "Where's D__ad at? I thought he said he would come see me leave…where is he?"_

_Her mother smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Rita," she told her. "He had to work with Lee and Don with some project that they're doing. He said he was sorry he could make it."_

_Rita nodded a slight frown on her face. She was used to that after all. Her father was never home and __he always seemed to have to do something when it was Rita's day to shine, in a matter of speaking._

_She put on a fake smile and hugged her mother for probably the tenth time that day. "I'll miss you mom," Rita told Mrs. Hoktawa._

_"I'll miss you too."_

_They broke apart and __Rita turned and started walking. _

_Mrs. Hoktawa wanted to say something to her daughter. She wanted to tell her that her father never was__ planning __to show up. There wasn't a project that he had to work on. He was at Lee's house but he was drinking sake, not working._

_But it was her first day of school. She didn't want to ruin that._

_So, Mrs. Hoktawa stayed quiet and waved after her daughter, who was off to change her life for the better._

………………………………………………………………………….

Delicately, Rukia applied a light blue eye shadow to her eye lids and a light pink lip glass to her lips. She stood up and straightened her light blue dress. There was a knock on the door and Ichigo came in.

"You sure you'll be okay for a little while?" he asked.

Tonight, Rukia had done it. She had decided to take a stand and kick Ichigo out of the house…for the night. Tonight, Matsumoto along with Orihime and Momo were coming and they were going to have a small get together.

And so, she had told Ichigo to find something to do that night. He had decided just to go over to Ishida's house and hang out there for a while watching TV, eating corn chips, and talking about work while Rukia had her little party.

She deserved a little freedom, he had decided, even if it was just the slightest. After all, she had not only Rita there but two lieutenants _and_ Orihime there if anything went wrong.

"I'll be fine," Rukia replied. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven," Ichigo said casually.

"Seven!" Rukia's voice was suddenly urgent. "Go now, Ichigo! They should be here any moment!!" She practically pushed him out the door.

"Alright, alright!" he squealed. "I get it! You don't want me around!!"

"Yes, now LEAVE."

She pushed him along. Down the stairs they went and into the living and towards the front door. She opened it yet Ichigo wouldn't budge. "Ichigo, get like your name and move it!"

"Not until I get something," he replied sternly; but she could see the humor in his eyes.

She sighed. "But before I give it to you, will you answer something for me?" He shrugged. "Do I look fat in this dress?"

He laughed. "Honey," he told her. "You look fat in anything you wear." Her eyebrow twitched and she kicked him in the shin. "What I meant was," he tried restating what he had just said. "You're pregnant; of course you're going to gain weight. You do have another life inside of you."

"Well, _I_ think she looks beautiful," Rita said, walking into the leaving room with a huge bowl of cheese dip.

"Yes, she is very beautiful," Ichigo agreed.

"That would have sufficed," Rukia replied, but smiled. She pecked him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Now leave."

He laughed again, holding his hands up in mercy. "I'm leaving." He turned around and headed toward the driveway while a blue car pulled in.

"Rita, they're here!" Rukia called out to the fourth division Soul Reaper. Surprisingly, ever since Rukia told Rita about this get together a week ago, the girl had actually kept her cool. Even tonight, she picked out one of Rukia's dresses and put it on, did her make-up, and made tons of delicious food and she had never squealed out in excitement once.

It made Rukia happy in one way; slightly frightened in another.

There was a knock at the door and Rukia answered it to find Momo, Matsumoto, and Orihime there, smiling like they too, like Rita, were up to something.

"Hi, Rukia!" Momo yelped throwing her arms around the raven-haired woman's neck. "I've missed you in the Soul Society!!"

They broke apart and Rukia smiled. "I've missed you too. Both of you actually."

She looked over to Rangiku only to find her staring at her stomach. "Wow, you've gained A LOT of weight since we last saw you," she replied honestly.

"Rangiku!" Orihime and Momo said at once.

Rukia's smile only grew wider. "Don't worry about it Orihime, Momo," she told them. "My husband told me the same thing tonight."

"He didn't!" Momo said. "I can't believe he would do that!"

"You should," Matsumoto replied, crossing her arms. "You're the one who has to deal with a boy exactly like Ichigo. Can you say, Captain Hitsugaya's on your mind?"

A crimson blush went across Momo's face at once. "You're the one to talk, Rangiku!" she yelled out in frustration. "You're in love with—"

"Who?" Matsumoto asked a smirk spread across her face.

"Well!! Well!—I—don't know." She looked down at the ground defeated.

Rukia smiled and noticed that she felt a presence behind her. She turned around only to find the shining eyes of Rita. So much for keeping her cool, Rukia thought briefly before turning back to her friends. "Guys," she said. "I want you to meet—"

"Rita Hoktawa," Rita said, throwing her hand out immediately to be shaken. Matsumoto and Momo did so, their faces just a slight bit confused. "I'm here taking care of Rukia," Rita explained, rather proudly, "I'm from the fourth division. I've been fans of both of you for a very long time.

"Okay!" Rukia said, in attempt to shut the over excited girl up. "Who's ready to watch movies that'll make us cry, eat junk food, and explain to me why Momo gets all red in the face when we mention Toshiro."

"I do not!" was Momo's immediate reaction, yet another blush spread out across her face.

"Let's do it," Matsumoto and Orihime replied in unison, and drug the rest of the girls inside the living room, already explaining the story in which started Momo's blushing.

…………………………………………………………………………….

_Two weeks ago…_

_It had been a quiet day in the Soul Society. Momo had a book in her hand and was rea__ding with much enthusiasm. Matsumoto__ had brought it to her not to long ago and she hadn't put it down since.__ It was about love, evil enemies, close friends, betrayal, and wars between two kingdoms._

_The sun was shining brightly overhead and there were just two white fluffy clouds in the sky. The trees were finally blowing small, pink flowers. It was sure beautiful out here._

_And so was the romantic part in the book._

_"_And so_," it read, "_the two people, a bossy young man and a shy young woman realized at that moment that they loved with all their heart. And so, they turned toward the oncoming enemies, drew their swords, and fought them as one_."_

_"Ah," Momo swooned, turning the page. "Sometimes I wish something like that would happen to me," she wished._

_She started reading the next chapter of her book._

_And while she was, she didn't notice he short-white haired captain walking toward her reading a very, very similar book. Both, so involved __with their reading, __ran into one another._

_They landed in, well, let's just say a very awkward position; Momo opened her eyes to find ice blue ones staring, wide eyed, back at hers._

_She sudd__enly realized what position they were in._

_Blushing furiously, she immediately jumped up and wiped the dirt off her outfit while Toshiro, too__, got__ up. They both saw their book and bent down to pick it up. Of course, having their luck, they didn't notice the fact that the other was too bending down._

_They were almost touching foreheads when they finally realized each other's presence. They looked up at the exact same moment and both blushed__ even a darker shade of red._

_"S—sorry Lil' Shiro," she said sweetly to him and straightened up._

_He did the same after picking up the book. He handed it to her and said, rather fiercely, "I told you a long time ago to stop calling me that." And he walked off, bookless, and still blushing._

_Momo nodded slightly and turned around. Stun was written in her face as acknowledge filled__ her heart; she had that story in which she was reading about_

…………………………………………………………………………………

"Ah, Momo," Rukia cooed, a huge grin enveloped her face. "That's so sweet. I bet Toshiro is still embarrassed."

Momo blushed deeper, burying her face into a pillow.

"Alright," Matsumoto said, "enough fun. It's time for presents!"

"Presents?" Rukia questioned. She didn't remember there being presents at parties, besides birthdays or Christmas…

"Of course," Orihime replied. "What's a baby shower without presents!?"

"But…" Rukia tried protesting. "We're were just to have a small gathering…not a baby—"

"A small gathering!" Matsumoto laughed. "Come on, this is a party!! And more importantly, it's a baby shower!! And you know that we knew you haven't bought ANYTHING for the poor kid yet. Not even a crib! Where do you think it'll sleep?"

Rukia looked down at her bulging belly. It was true she or Ichigo hadn't thought of what would happen once the baby was born. They had planned names and schools and everything else except for the baby's room and what it would wear…

"I…don't…know," Rukia now admitted. She felt her throat choke.

_What a terrible mother she was already turning out to be_! Orihime obviously knew what she was thinking because she spoke next. "It's alright that you haven't thought about a room yet," she told Rukia. "Uryuu and I didn't think about it until Rei was _born_. That's why you have us. So, WE can provide the gifts."

Suddenly, Rukia had gifts to her right and left. She smiled, tears filling her eyes as hormones, yet again, made her cry. She picked up the first brightly colored package and tore the paper delicately. Inside there was a white box that was soft to touch.

She opened and was greeted by green; green _baby_ _clothes_. There were dresses and one pieces; trousers and small flowered shirts. Rukia smiled.

"Green is the new pink," Rangiku told her. "It's if you have a little girl."

"Here's mine," Momo said holding out a blue colored present.

Rukia smiled, taking the gift and opened it with the same delicacy as the first. Inside were boy's baby clothes and bottles along with a few toys like a plushy baseball and a fish that was supposed to make noise when you pressed certain buttons.

"Thank you Momo, thank you Rangiku," Rukia said. "I love it all."

"But that's not all!" Orihime said. "You have yet to open mine."

She handed her a pink bag with tissue paper gushing out of it like it was trying to hide the gift that was inside. Rukia pulled out all the paper and gasped at the gift inside. It was a baby blanket!

There were pieces of black cloth that felt like shinigami robes. There were patches that had flowers from Rukia's old robe that she wore when she was younger, and a purple patch that said "Nice Vibe" that Ichigo quickly grew out of after he bought it.

"Orihime," Rukia said quietly. "It's beautiful."

"It took to make, but, with a little help"—she poked her belly (that was also showing) playfully—"we finally finished it. I thought it would resemble something not only towards your baby but also toward you and Ichigo."

"You're right about that," Rukia replied. "Thank you guys, so much. I never could have asked—"

"Wait!" Rita said. "You forgot about me!"

"But Rita…you don't have a job," Rukia started.

"I didn't need money to bring you MY present," Rita stated proudly. "She walked toward the door and opened it slowly.

Suddenly Ichigo, Uryuu, Byakuya appeared. Ichigo was grinning like an idiot, wearing a party hat and blowing a kazoo; Uryuu was smiling also wearing a party hat; Byakuya wasn't smiling, yet he was wearing a party hat also.

They drug in huge boxes that had pictures of cribs and rocking chairs, a dresser and several pictures of boats, flowers, and trains. Rukia knew she was crying now and the baby kicked with joy.

She got up and walked over to Ichigo.

Rita, Byakuya, along with all their other guests had already forgot about them and were ripping the boxes apart, ready to put them together and set them up in the bedroom in which was for the baby no matter how long it took.

But Rukia was looking up at Ichigo smiling slightly. "You did this?" she asked.

"No," he laughed. "Momo and Matsumoto did! They called to ask whether it would be alright if they threw a baby shower and what we already had so they didn't buy repeats. I suddenly realized that I hadn't gotten anything for the baby and so, I did some shopping…It took a while…that's why we had to postpone the shower until now…"

Rukia was smiling not paying much attention to what her fiery-colored haired husband was saying. She got closer to him, taking his hands. He continued talking, taking her hands and not realizing how close she was.

"Ichigo," she whispered. He looked down at her suddenly realizing the look in her eyes. She was touched, that's all he could see.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you?" she asked, smiling.

He grinned. "I'm surprised someone as smart as you would have to ask."

And they kissed.

Before it could get any more passionate than it was, there was a sharp pain in her stomach marking the fact that the baby was kicking again. By the force of the kick, and the fact that her belly and his stomach were touching, Ichigo felt it too. They broke apart and looked down at it.

"I haven't forgotten about you," Ichigo grinned resting a hand on her stomach.

"How could we?" she added.

And they looked at one another, smiled, and kissed again.

**It may seem like the ending but it's not!! The next chapter is when she has the baby and then there's an epilogue!! So, stick around for just two more chapters!!**

**Please review!! Please! ****Nos****Vemos**


	9. April 3rd

**Here's the next chapter!! And the last chapter before the epilogue!!**

**I don't own Bleach.**

Looking back, Ichigo laughed at how well her birth went. He had laughed so hard it made him cry. It was beautiful process, yet everything had gone wrong. Everything and more had gone wrong April 3rd. The day his baby was born.

……………………………………………………………………………………

She was now nearly nine months pregnant. She had two weeks, three days, and twenty nine minutes until she would be exactly nine months pregnant.

Rukia could hardly _move_ anywhere. In the middle of the night Ichigo would have to get up and help her to the bathroom. During the day, if she needed the remote, she had to call Rita to get it for her. She ate constantly. Every time Ichigo, Rita…hell, even Byakuya turned around she was eating some different sweet, or some other salty treat.

Her hormones raged. She went for giddy to depressing in a split second. She went from furious to happy in the middle of her sentences.

And yet, Ichigo knew she had never been more beautiful. It was when she cooed at her stomach at night, or when she felt the baby kick and she would smile softly and look down, acknowledging its presence like she must have forgotten it somehow.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

It was a cooler, rainy Saturday morning when Rukia decided that she would start reading something new. She hadn't read in the past few weeks; she and Ichigo had been planning for the baby's arrival, buying a few clothes here and there, putting the finishing touches on its room (it wouldn't be complete without Chappi now would it?) and going to baby delivering classes.

Yes, they had exercised breathing techniques. They had brought something every class as a reward for something Rukia received when she did something right. Or they did it to bribe her, if she acted as if she was in labor, if she did all her breathing right, if she everything she could, she would get a treat provided by Ichigo.

It was usually a cookie or a bag of potato chips. She had a calendar of cravings: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, she would crave sweets; Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays she was salt all the way.

After a while, Ichigo pretty much knew when to go to the bakery or the gas station down the street, since he couldn't cook anything himself and refused to let Rita cook dinner. He felt as if he was over working her; she made breakfast and lunch, did the laundry, dishes, and whatever else Rukia asked her to, without a groan and always with a smile.

And only _twice_ did she _almost_ burn down the house with the toaster. Just twice…no biggie.

It had been a typical Saturday morning. _Sweets day_, Ichigo thought numbly as he walked into the kitchen to find Rukia and Rita there. Byakuya never ate with them. It seemed that he just was staying there to make sure nothing got Rukia killed. Other than that, it was like he was a ghost that only read, and ate their food.

The first thing Ichigo noticed about the kitchen was the smell. It smelled like chocolate cake. He looked down at his pregnant wife who was surrounded with chocolate pancakes, chocolate milk, chocolate cereal, and whatever else that they possibly owned that was chocolate. He thought he might have saw Rukia's Chappi Chocolate covered Easter Bunny, she had not touched since Easter _last_ year; she didn't want to kill Chappi after all.

Yet, her cravings must have gotten the best of her.

The next thing he noticed was his wife herself. She was still wearing her pajamas, a pair of shorts that Ichigo had lent her and a shirt…that Ichigo had also lent her (she couldn't fit in her old clothes or even her maternity clothes anymore). Her face was covered in chocolate when she looked up at him and greeted him good morning.

"Morning," he replied smiling. He walked over to the other side of their small kitchen table and sat down. He looked over the pile of sweet food and immediately felt sick; he couldn't eat _that_ much chocolate in his life. It made him want to throw up by how much Rukia was stuffing into her mouth.

Rita walked over to him, smiled, and set down a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. Though she had only known him for nearly nine months, she pretty much knew him like a book that had been read a thousand times over.

That was the third thing he noticed. Good old, Rita; that girl in which had lived with the crazy family for such a long time now. She had been like a babysitter in Rukia's opinion and every now and then she would still complain about her being here saying "She's just wasting her time" or "Come on, Ichigo, I can take care of myself!" yet it wasn't as often after she had been attacked by that hollow.

Rita was covered with flour, sugar, and chocolate. She must have been cooking all morning for them. After the baby was born, he had to do something for her.

He just wasn't sure what.

…………………………………………………………………………

Around five that day, Ichigo and Rukia got ready to go over to Isshin's house. Though they usually met on Sundays, Mr. Kurosaki had a meeting that next morning, Yuzu had to work, and Karin had some big soccer thing at her school, the next day.

They figured it would be better to just have dinner that night. Rita had the night off therefore, and instead of seeing a movie or going out with someone, she decided to stay in and read with Byakuya.

Read? With _Byakuya_?

Ichigo could never figure her out.

"Ichi—Ichigo!" Rukia snapped as she tried pulling yet another dress over herself. Ichigo smiled, walked over to her and helped her pull down a light pink dress.

"How does it look?" she asked.

He looked. It was too short for Rukia's former liking, he could tell. Yet he told her it was beautiful. He could hardly afford _food_ anymore because all of the baby things they had to buy let alone having to buy _another_ dress.

"Beautiful," he told her. She nodded and threw her hair up in a ponytail while he finished tying his shoes. They walked out of their room, down the stairs, through the living room (where they found Rita and Byakuya reading, just a little closer than Ichigo thought Byakuya's standards would be…yet the jet black haired man never said a work), and out the door.

They walked to the car, got in, and started driving.

It was a quiet ride.

There wasn't much to talk about. Hollows hadn't been attacking for a few months, there weren't any tragedies in the world right now, and celebrity gossip was on a low for the time being.

Groan.

Ichigo could faintly hear Rukia groan in the backseat (he had made her sit back there ever since she was seven months pregnant…it was the safest part of the car after all).

He leaned over the steering wheel, changed lanes, and he too, groaned; it was another habit he had started for the last two months or so. Every time Rukia would groan or get sick, he could act like he was sick or in pain also. Why? He thought it would make her feel better and not so alone.

Did it?

No.

"_Ichi_…" Rukia rasped.

"What is it Rukia?" he replied, gasping also, because she was sounding so damn quiet and raspy.

"Ichi…I think my water just broke…" she gasped, leaning back in the seat. She was in pain, Ichigo could tell without even looking at her.

He froze. Water broke? Didn't that mean….

"Oh, god," he said, glancing back her way. "Rukia, are you sure?"

"Idiot, I wouldn't lie at a time like this! Get me to a hospital now! The baby's coming!!"

Ichigo was slowing down quickly. People were honking at him as they drove past, yelling curses out their window or other…_things_ that we just won't mention.

"ICHIGO!!" Rukia screamed. "Quit gaping at me like some kind of idiot!! Go, get me to a hospital!! Now, before _I_ get up there and drive!!"

At that moment, Ichigo hit the gas. Despite the cramps, cravings, and hormones, there was one thing even worse than all that. And that was Rukia's driving. She tried and failed the driver's test ten times (in the same month) before giving up, and making Ichigo drive her everywhere.

Ichigo mentally wondered why he was thinking of her driving at a time like this.

He stopped his racing mind and speed up. Thirty, forty, fifty…

_Damn_!! Were they really going _that_ slowly!!

Eighty, ninety…

"_Ahhh_! Ichigo, hurry!"

Faster….Faster!!

There was a distant sound from behind him. He looked in his rearview mirror faintly see blue and red flashing…sirens?! This time of all times, to be pulled over by the cops.

Rukia was panting behind him. He stole a glance at her. She was clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. "Breathe Rukia," he told her. "Breathe!"

"I AM BREATHING!!" she screamed and let out a yelp of pain. "Please…Ichigo…"

He looked back at the police car and decided to pull over. After all, if they told the officer what was going on, he would let them go or escort them there. That happened in movies and TV shows, it could happen in real life right?

Ichigo hastily pulled over trying to block Rukia kicking his seat and her screaming, "ICHIGO what are you DOING!! I have to go to the hospital!! Please!!!"

Ichigo ignored her and pulled over. The cop stopped also and walked to their car, taking his time might we add. He strolled over and tapped on Ichigo's window. Ichigo rolled it down and asked, "Yes?"

"You know that you were nearly going ninety five, in a seventy five mile road?" the man asked.

"Yes, that occurred to me," Ichigo replied through his teeth. "But you see officer; my wife is having a baby. I have to get her to the hospital."

"Yeah that's what they all—" the officer was cut off by a loud beeping noise. The man looked at his belt and pulled out a walky-talky. He mumbled a few words, glanced at Ichigo, and then put the device away. "You're lucky," he told the orange haired man—Rukia groaned in pain—"If I hadn't gotten this call I would have had to write you a ticket. Have a good day now."

And with that the man walked away.

Hastily, Ichigo put the car back in drive and took off. The tires screeched.

"Ichi…"

"We're almost there." He replied, cutting her off. Ichigo could never know how much pain Rukia was actually in, yet he had idea. Like all those swords he had to fight in order to save her, all stabbing him at once; that was probably what it felt like.

She groaned again.

He sped up again.

He past cars in which the passengers looked at him and cursed. What the hell was wrong with this guy anyway? Was his wife having a baby or something?

Two more minutes, Ichigo thought wearily. Rukia was trying very hard to keep her screams down to a minimum. She was in so much pain, she could hardly breathe. She remembered all those classes at that moment and started rapidly breathing, just like she was taught to.

Sirens.

Ichigo looked in his mirror yet again. And yet again there was another cop car. What? How could this happen to him? Twice in one day? Twice in ten minutes?

He started to pull over.

"Idiot…don't _stop_," Rukia pleaded from the back seat. "Please, don't stop. Go…"

He stopped but this time he didn't wait for the officer to come to him. He got out of the car and walked to the police car. "Look," he said in a very harsh whisper; the man looked up at him in surprise; it was a different man than last time.

"My wife is having a baby!" Ichigo was now yelling. "Please, we NEED to get to the hospital!!"

The officer immediately put his car back in drive. "Then let's go," he told Ichigo. "I swear that all the men I pulled over today, their wives have been going into labor. It'll be my tenth trip to the hospital."

Ichigo nodded and ran back to his car. Rukia was still there and she was screaming. As soon as he opened the door though, she stopped. Instead the raspy breathing returned and she had tears running down her cheeks.

Ichigo put the car and gear and shot off. The police man turned on his sirens and pulled out in front of him. They raced along, trying to get to the hospital.

"We're almost there, Rukia," Ichigo told her. She nodded and continued to breathe as best as she could.

………………………………………………………………………….

When they got into the hospital, they were greeted by white; white walls, white uniforms on all the doctors, and white beds. Ichigo carried Rukia while running into the hospital. Though pregnant, she still didn't weigh as much as he did.

"Somebody, help them!" the officer called behind them. There were nurses around them at once, setting Rukia down on a gurney.

Ichigo held her hand the whole way to her soon to be room. She was crying because of the pain now and she was squeezing his hand for support.

When they reached the room, Ichigo took no time to study what it was like. He picked Rukia up, laid her on the white sheeted bed and continued to hold her hand.

Seconds later, a man came inside. He wore a long, white coat. He was the doctor that they had seen for nine months.

He sat down on one of the chairs a nurse provided and talked to Rukia and Ichigo as if it was just another one of their checkups. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Kurosaki," he said. "It's so nice to see you again. I didn't think Rukia was due for another three weeks or so."

"The baby has a mind of its own," Ichigo replied smiling lightly.

A nurse stuck a needle into Rukia wrist which sent pain medication throughout her body. Though it wouldn't start to work for a while, they figured they might as well put it in.

"Okay, I believe that you're ready to have your baby," the doctor said after the nurses finished setting everything up.

"Ya think?!" Rukia rasped.

Ichigo and Rukia held hands as the doctor gave them the instructions. "On three, push as hard as you can," the doctor said.

Rukia nodded.

"One, two, three!"

Ichigo bent down and whispered soft praises in her ear. Both of their hands were intertwined with each other's now. "You're doing great," he whispered in her ear his forehead pressed up against sweaty, raven hair.

"Push harder!"

Rukia pushed harder, yelling out in pain. "We're having a baby," Ichigo repeated over and over. "This is gonna be amazing!! What do you think it'll be?" he asked her.

"A—boy—boy," she finally said.

"A boy, yeah that would be good," Ichigo said. "Any names yet?"

"Not yet."

"Okay, again on three!" the doctor yelled. "One, two, three!"

Rukia pushed as hard as she could. Harder than the time when she tried pushing Ichigo out of her way so she could use the bathroom one morning three years before, harder than when she tried to ignore her feelings for him (though it didn't exactly work out that way), and even harder when she had tried to run away from those feelings, so she wouldn't have to face her emotions.

She was breathing hard.

Ichigo had his eyes closed mumbling still. She couldn't quite make out all the words except for a few like "baby," "love," and "Byakuya."

Byakuya?

Why the hell would Ichigo be thinking of her brother at a time like this?

"One more time, Rukia!!" the doctor yelled. "Give it all you got. One, two, three!!"

Rukia pushed with all she had. She was so tired; she didn't know how much she had in her. She pushed and pushed until finally she heard a scream enter the room.

She looked around to find where the voice was. She couldn't hear anything quite well and she didn't even though if that was her child's voice; her breaths seemed to be drowning out all the sounds in the room. She felt so tired…

"Congratulations," the doctor said, handing her something in a blanket.

She could see orange first.

And then she saw eyes that were blue but were quickly turning amber.

"You have a little boy. And one that looks like his father."

Ichigo leaned over her slightly to catch a glimpse of his son. He was so beautiful. It was true, he looked exactly like Ichigo in just about every way. Ichigo's son had orange hair, the same shade as his, and his eyes were quickly turning from blue to amber, just like his own.

Rukia rested her head on Ichigo's shoulder, sighing slightly.

The baby had stopped crying and was now looking up at his mother and father with much curiosity. _He's so beautiful_, Rukia thought. _And yet_….She frowned

"Ichigo," Rukia said quietly. "He's so beautiful…"

Ichigo smiled and kissed his wife on the forehead. "He's ours, of course he's beautiful."

Rukia's frown lightened a little. "And yet, he looks nothing like me," Rukia replied sadly. "I had him inside of me for nine months and he…doesn't look like me at all."

Ichigo thought that her hormones would kick in and she would start crying. Yet, Rukia was too strong and to proud to do so, especially since her hormones finally seemed to stop raging for a few moments.

He smiled. "Hey," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and the other on top of hers in which was holding their son. "He looks like you in a lot of ways."

"_How_?"

"Well…" Ichigo smiled again. He leaned down and kissed his son on the nose; the baby stirred slightly before going back to sleep. Then he looked up at Rukia; her face was sweaty and her eyes were very tired; yet she was beautiful in every way possible. He kissed her nose also. "He has your nose."

He leaned down again and kissed the baby on the ear. He did the same to Rukia. "He has your ears," he whispered. "And if I'm sure that we checked his feet," he said, raising his fingers as weapons. "They would be the same as yours too."

He started tickling her at that moment. She squealed, laughing. "Don't check!" she yelled. "Ichigo…stop it!! Ahhh, stop!!"

The baby stirred and they immediately stopped and studied him.

After a while Ichigo asked, "Did you ever think of a name?"

She looked over to him and smiled "Actually," she replied. "I did. What do you think of Takaisuto Kaien Kurosaki? We could call him Tak for short."

"Takaisuto," Ichigo repeated. "I like it, but where did you ever come up with a name like Takaisuto? What does it mean, anyway?"

"Takai means death," Rukia replied. "And Suto is the first part of the word strawberry."

Ichigo grinned. "Death and strawberry?" he questioned.

She nodded. "I like it." He said. "Takaisuto. Tak for short. Takaisuto Kaien Kurosaki. What happened to not wanting to use Kaien?"

"Things change," she merely replied.

He smiled. "Hopefully we can do Kaien proud," Ichigo hoped looking down at his wife.

She returned his gaze and soon they had been staring at each other for a very long time. "I know we have already," she replied, confidentially.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed.

And they leaned into a kiss that never seemed to be filled with more passion, even though it was so short and so gentle. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and she studied her son a bit more. _He really does look more like me than Ichigo_, she thought and smiled.

Ichigo on the other hand took in the scent that Rukia possessed at that moment. Beneath the sweat, her perfume, and the laundry detergent Ichigo could smell it again.

It was that reassuring scent. That beautiful smell that helped him get through those nine months of near hell.

And he smiles.

She smells like Honey and Maple Syrup.

**Ah, the ending!! I feel so weird completely this story!!! It was so much fun to write and now…it's over…I fell kinda sad!! But wait there's still the epilogue!! If you want to see how many kids they end up having and what not stick around for another few days or so!!**

**I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did writing it.**

**It seems that Byakuya has a little crush****…;**

**JK!! Maybe…**

**And their son's name really is exactly what Rukia said. ****Takai**** means death and ****Suto**** is the first half of strawberry in Japanese.**** (And the nickname is pronounced Tak as in a thumb tack)**

**Please review!!! I'll see you at the next chapter!!!**


	10. Epilogue

**Here's the epilogue!! Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters except the ones I created.**

A young girl, seventeen or so by the name of Saori walked handed in hand with her boyfriend, Okahito, through the park one summer day. She wore a blue collared, button up shirt that showed her stomach in which was very large and very round; she was pregnant. Her boyfriend was wearing just a plain white t-shirt and jeans.

Their fingers intertwined, they sat down on a park bench. Saori sighed, and leaned back, on to Okahito's chest. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. She was tired. Just a walk from main street to the park and she was already for a nap; what an old lady she was turning out to be!

"You tired?" Okahito asked. She nodded briefly. He put one of his strong hands on her forehead and brushed back her blond hair. "You worried?"

"A little," Saori replied.

Being pregnant at seventeen was supposed to be scary. It made her thankful that she had Okahito there every minute of every day. Except he was usually working. Yet, she was still thankful that he had stayed with her.

Her parents had kicked her out, saying if she could do adult things then she must be an adult. That had been nine months ago.

She opened her eyes and smiled at the touch of his fingers against her skin. Saori looked around at the park. Over by the jungle she could see what seemed to be a father with several small children. There was a woman on a bench with a bulging belly too; she was also pregnant. They could be married, maybe not.

There were several other families out there, with dogs running around while the children ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while parents laughed, reminiscing about the old days.

But there was one person who stuck out in particular to Saori. The woman had raven colored hair that was slightly longer than her shoulder and her eyes were violet. She was wearing a light pink dress that stopped just past her knee. She was carrying blankets in her arms and she was smiling, though she looked dead tired.

The woman must have seen Saori staring at her because before she knew it, she was walking toward her. The woman sat down on the bench and introduced herself, "Hello," she said. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new in town?"

Saori wasn't sure if she should answer. The woman seemed nice enough, yet there was something that seemed a little…off about her.

"Yes, we are," Okahito said friendly as he usually was; always the first person to trust someone new. "I'm Okahito and this is my girlfriend, Saori."

"It's so nice to meet you," the woman replied. "I'm Rukia Kurosaki."

Saori looked over when the woman said her name. Rukia Kurosaki…wasn't an Ichigo Kurosaki helping her give birth when the time came? Wasn't that her doctor's name?

"Likewise," Saori replied to the woman before Okahito had the chance. "Are you related to an Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"Unfortunately yes," Rukia replied sadly, yet Saori could hear the humor in her voice. "He's my husband. Are you…you must be that young couple he keeps talking about!"

"Probably are," Okahito said.

"Though he told me you were young I didn't guess that you both would be having a baby at only, what, eighteen or so?"

"Seventeen," Saori replied coldly. What was her problem anyway!? She was just like everyone else…judging them just because she, (a girl only seventeen!), was pregnant.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm very happy for you." She paused. "Would you like to hear my advice about babies?"

"Not really."

Okahito nudged her in the back. "We would love to hear some," he said, encouraging the woman on.

"When your baby is born it'll be hard to make it by without tears and without fail. Hell, sometimes you just cry for no reason. Yet, this is your outcome…"

She extended her hands out showing Saori what was wrapped inside those blankets. It was a baby, sleeping. "Hold him."

Saori took the baby and studied him. He had black hair and pale skin. He looked a lot like Rukia except for the fact that his eyes weren't as large as hers. He was so small and beautiful. "You get a baby that will love you like no one else will," Rukia told her.

Saori felt as if she was going to cry.

No one had ever been this kind to her. Only Dr. Kurosaki and Okahito had ever treated like a person, and not worthless, pregnant trash like some people had. "Thank you, Mrs. Kurosaki," Saori said handing Rukia back her baby.

"No problem and don't call me Mrs. Kurosaki. It makes me feel old. Just Rukia will do."

Saori nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Rukia."

"Rukia!" the woman on the bench Saori had seen earlier yelled. "Come on, we should head back. Byakuya will kill me if we're not there on time!"

"Yeah, okay Rita!" Rukia called to the pregnant. "I should go."

"Okay," the seventeen year old replied. "I guess we'll see you around."

"I'm sure you will."

And while the woman with the baby walked away, Saori smiled. She looked up at Okahito and kissed him on the lips briefly.

"We're gonna get through this right?" she asked.

He pulled her into an embrace and held her for a while. Then very softly he whispered, "I know we will."

…………………………………………………………………………………..

When Byakuya and Rita went to the hospital five years before, they had looked different than what they usually did. Ichigo noticed that Rita seemed rather nervous, slightly shaking and stuttering a lot. Byakuya seemed to be rather nervous as well. It was only later that the two had a very awkward conversation…something dealing with "I think you're a very pretty girl" and "Will you just kiss me already."

When Byakuya held Tak for the first time he seemed almost happy. He had told Ichigo to make sure and take care of the baby and Rukia both. And if something ever happened to them he would come and kill him. Ichigo had agreed.

Then he told Byakuya that if anything happened to Rita while with him, he would come back to kill him. Byakuya glared at him while Rita jumped up from looking over Byakuya's shoulder and to the baby and blushed deeply.

It had been five years since then. Since then, Rita had fallen head over heels for Byakuya. Sooner or later, Byakuya seemed to have received "permission" from his dead wife, Hisana, and married Rita not two weeks later after confessing to her his feelings; they had known each other for two years.

Since then, she and he came to the living world every few weeks or so until now. Rita was pregnant now and they were expecting a girl in the near future. They were going to name her Hisana.

Rukia and Ichigo on the other hand had had three kids since Tak was born. After Tak, three years later, they had twin girls. One looked like her father: orange hair, amber eyes; they named her Tenpi Hisana for the sun and for Rukia's sister. Her sister though, looked exactly like Rukia: violet eyes and dark hair; they named her Tsuki Masaki for the moon and Ichigo's mother.

Though they were both very different girls, one was the moon and one was the sun, they had the middle name of the deceased woman that meant a lot to the opposite parent in which they didn't look alike. They were connected in a very different way.

And finally, they had a little boy that, he too, looked like Rukia. They named him Kutsu (that means stubborn in which both Ichigo and Rukia were) and of course Ichigo's father (though Ichigo had despised calling him that when Rukia first suggested it).

For years they had been happy. Sure they had arguments, occasional food fights, dirty diapers, and pictures drawn that had hollows on them (that was when Ichigo had realized that their children could see spirits too), but they had always been happy deep inside.

Rukia drew her son closer to her chest and smiled down at him as he shifted in his sleep. She looked up to find her husband being attacked by their three children who held the playgrounds woodchips like weapons.

"Howl, Mokuzai!" Tak yelled and tossed the woodchips at his father who was laughing and trying to run away from his daughters who were chasing after him.

Rukia smiled and handed her baby off to Rita who stood up also. "He'll never grow up," Rita observed.

"You're right," Rukia agreed. "He'll be my little Tak forever."

"I was talking more about Ichigo than Tak," Rita said, laughing lightly.

Rukia then looked at her husband who was now acting as if he was a zombie and chasing after Tak, Tsuki, and Tenpi. Rukia laughed then and put her hands on her hips. "Him too," she told Rita who was cooing down at Kutsu.

"Okay, kids, Ichigo," Rukia called out to her family. "It's time to go. Uncle Byakuya has made dinner for us and we can't be late. He might release his zanpakuto on us!"

She made a face and all her children immediately ran off toward the van; Rita walked off leaving Rukia and Ichigo alone. Rukia shook her head and felt to strong arms wrap around her waist. "Hello Ichigo," Rukia smiled and turned around.

They kissed each other briefly. "Do want any more of those?" Ichigo asked.

"More of what?" she asked she and Ichigo rocking back and forth.

"Children."

"I think we're good with what we have now," Rukia laughed. "And besides Kutsu isn't even two months yet! What are we, baby making machines?"

"…Well…"

"Wait," Rukia stopped him placing her hand across his lips. "Don't answer that."

He kissed her fingers and then they turned around walking back to the car. They held hands and smiled. "Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"Yes?"

"Are you happy?"

"With what?"

"Me," Rukia replied. "And the kids…I know that when you first met me, you weren't even thinking about one day marry her and then having kids with her."

"First of all," Ichigo said. "You're right on that second part. I thought you were just some annoying midget with a crazy imagination and extremely bad drawing skills"—Rukia slapped him on the shoulder—"Ow! Let me finish!! And second of all, I've never been happier in my life. I'm glad I have you and Tak and Tsuki and Tenpi and Kutsu and of course, Rita and Byakuya…though your brother I wouldn't mind at the Soul Society."

Another slap. "Ow, stop it!" he laughed.

"Thanks for saying that," Rukia replied. "I'm glad you're happy."

"Are you?"

"Of course I am!"

"Then we're good?" he asked.

She smiled. "We're good."

"That's good, because I'm so going to beat you to the van."

He let go of her hand and got down into a running position. She did as well. "Is that a challenge?" she asked him.

"You bet!"

"Then let's go!"

And despite the fact of being adults, of having four children, and nearly being twenty eight years old they took off.

Who would win?

Rukia, of course.

Only a few moments of running, she stopped and started crying because she stubbed her toe in which Ichigo would quickly turn around to see if she's alright. When he bent down to check on it, she took off, beating him to the van. After cursing under his breath and smiling internally he took off too toward his wife, sister in law, and beautiful children.

Who could ever ask for more?

Not Ichigo.

**THE END**

* * *

**WAAAAAHH!! It's over!! I think I'm going to cry now (sits by computer and cries hysterically). I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**I have a couple of points to…um…point out before I sign off for the last time on this story.**

**1. When Tak yelled "Howl Mokuzai!" Mokuzai is the Japanese word for wood. He was throwing woodchips…yeah, I know, hilarious. (sarcastic tone)**

**2. Also, Rita and Byakuya ended up together!! Yay!! I thought they would make a cute couple…but that's just my opinion. What do you think?**

**3. The couple at the beginning…they were supposed to a reference back to "A Walk in the Park" when Rukia sees that mother with the tired eyes and the smile.**

**And a big shout out to my friend freedomwriter123 that encouraged me to finish this along with konoichi2.0…you guys rock!! ****And so do all you wonderful reviewers!! I love you all so much!! If I could I would hug you all!!**

**MY UPCOMING STORY:**

**Title: When You're Gone**

**_AU: Rukia Kuchiki, a college graduate, is working to become her lifelong dream: a famous author while working at a bookshop to pay off the bills. But one day, while reading her story aloud__ her book seems to come alive. She's thrown into a world with hollows, Soul Reapers, and more importantly, Ichigo Kurosaki.__IchiRuki._**

**Please tell me what you think! ****I'm really excited about writing it…it'll just take a while to get up on here…****It'll be the first AU I've ever written. It'll be my second IchiRuki fan fic. And it'll be my first story for Bleach that is pretty serious. Fluff, drama, angst…everything.**

**Please review!! I can't wait to hear from you!! You guys are awesome!!**

**--Zapenbits**


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